Description
Sorry SOLD in 2021! For more than the OFFERS OVER price.
Pricing for this suite … OFFERS OVER $550 EACH for the LOW-BACK chairs. OFFERS OVER $700 EACH for the HIGH-BACK chairs.
The full suite SOLD within weeks to a buyer for significantly more than the offers over price. SOLD to an interior designer so the final price will not be disclosed at her request.
We’ve decided to list this suite in an OFFERS OVER situation because we’ve had a lot of recent buyer enquiries for this design but it’s the first Numero IV furniture we’ve stocked for over 15 YEARS! The OFFERS OVER situation will give people holding out for one of these suites enough time to talk to their partners and then jump in with an offer knowing it will definitely still be available. We won’t close this listing for at least 5 days. If a good offer comes in for the suite early, the listing will be SOLD (if more than 5 days has passed) and won’t be seen again- you snooze, you lose!
Also, the OFFERS OVER situation will also allow us to assess interest for individual parts and whether it will be worth our while breaking this suite up. The intention of the OFFERS OVER situation is not to milk it and hold out to get the absolute highest price we think we can get but to give all interested parties following the iNVISeDGE website chance to talk to their partners about what’s on offer and CALL US to put in an offer before I sell the item to someone else.
This suite is being sold by a private seller based in the GOLD COAST but can be easily transported Australia-wide for a reasonable fee. My estimate is about $300 to get all of the suite to Sydney to help you gauge freight prices elsewhere.
Provenance & Background Information
(Written in 2021).
Definitely one of Featherston’s most heralded designs and in recent years it has also become one of his most collectable. These are HOT property at the moment- the demand for Numero IV furniture has been very high for more than 5 years now. Prices have skyrocketed in recent years (and are set to keep going up too!). I have to come clean and will freely admit I never understood the hype around this design over the last 10 years or so until I got to experience it again in the flesh last week. This is a seriously cool design and sooooo unique! I love the fun, relaxed style of this iconic Featherston design. The design lends itself to any colour really. I’ve seen Numero IV suites look sensational in soft- green but just as amazing in orange or bright yellow- even textured grey fabrics look very classy too. And of course, we’ve all seen them re-upholstered in (MODERN) white boucle for a bit of fun, class and MODERN-opulence all rolled into one.
The fact these are lightweight chairs and so easy to move around, caps off a really clever design in my eyes. You can set these up in ANY configuration- the possibilities are endless- you can really go for a unique, fun look for your space because they all separate so easily. When friends come over (or you’re having a meeting with your staff) everyone can grab their own chair and put it wherever they want in the room within seconds. And then move it back to how it suits the space before they leave, with NO difficulty … no stress.
The thing that ended up really selling this design to me in the end is the construction quality. This is NOT just resilient moulded foam as I’ve been led to believe for so many years, but it has steel webbing contained within the foam and a steel frame to support the seat structure. The foam is most likely latex or has a high latex content- it is specified on the Featherston Archives website as being “resilient moulded foam” (their words .. not mine … I don’t really know what it is to be honest!). The foam certainly is VERY resilient. These suites are now nearing 50 years old and I’ve never seen any problem with this foam ever- it just seems to keep on going … and going. The steel seat structure also makes for a comfortable chair. Yes- it’s relaxed comfort but you are held in an excellent seating position. Perfect for long work-meetings, people with bad backs and watching Netflix for hours on end at home. The comfort is suitable for any application.
Final thing that needs discussion is the investment appeal on offer here. Featherston is probably Australia’s most celebrated designer EVER and this is one of his most popular designs (over his illustrious 50-year-career in design). Contour chairs are now fetching $6000 each for the standard R160 model and over $10,000 for his really RARE designs (that have never been replicated or re-issued). The investment appeal here is a no-brainer- there’s a long way for these to go before they reach anywhere close to $6000 per chair! And if the R160s are getting $6000 there’s no reason why this design can’t get prices like that in the future. I found an old iNVISeDGE listing I did back in 2005 (poorly written so it didn’t help me much today!) … it was for a pair of high-back chairs- those sold in an ebay auction for $495 for BOTH CHAIRS- $250 each- (just the single EBAY bid)! (And the condition of the fabric was SENSATIONAL too! No-one wanted them back then!). If that doesn’t prove the investment appeal on offer here, you’re not the right buyer and move along please! These have rapidly appreciated in value since 2010. In the last 3 years, the cheapest Numero IV chair I’ve seen for sale was through Curated Spaces for $850 (in ugly brown too!). Don’t bother coming with offers lower than our reserve. If you come in with an offer ABOVE our reserve via email and don’t get a response, CALL me. Some of our emails are blocked- they don’t even go to our Junk Folder (and are simply never seen!) If you have genuine interest in any of our stock, it’s always best to call.
This design ticks EVERY box and resoundingly so- PLUS it’s a very astute investment. Quality vintage design constantly appreciates in value (if you buy right)- it’s a win/win for everybody… for you, our environment and our local community (ALL iNVISeDGE staff and support businesses are 100% LOCAL!). There’s no better way I can think of to invest in your home and the future of our environment (whenever you invest in vintage furniture, you’re doing your part in reducing future landfill).
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