Description
SOLD in 2023 for $2,790 THE PAIR.
LOCATION- being sold under consignment from a private seller in NOOSA, Sunshine Coast. I travelled to the Sunshine Coast to work with and photograph these chairs. They can be sent by furniture freight Australia-wide. It’d cost about $280 to get this pair to SYDNEY.
Priced PER chair- $1,395 each.
Background Info and Provenance
(Written in 2023)
FLER swivel chairs designed by Fred Lowen & Ernst Roddeck in the mid-1960’s. (Price is for one chair only but a matching pair is available.) This design, called the FLERENA, came out several years before the famous T21 chair by Tessa- the T21 draws strong inspiration from this earlier FLER release. Fred Lowen sold the FLER business in 1969 and then opened Tessa Furniture not long after. Lowen founded two Australian furniture businesses- both were some of the most successful Australian businesses of all time (until cheap Chinese-made “stuff” started to flood the Australian market and our landfill too!)
I like this Flerena design just as much as the Tessa T21, if not more. The exposed timber armrests are more substantial allowing the timber to become the focal point. The grain in this timber is stunning- warm, earthy, breath-taking. And these were restored to PERFECTION by Circa 70 in the Sunshine Coast. Circa 70 have become regarded as some of the best furniture restorers in Australia- but you pay a pretty penny for the privilege. This pair would sell through Circa 70 these days for close to double this price. The thing is though, Circa 70 nailed the renovation in my eyes. The renovation brings this pair into the 21st century. There’s a slight “retro look” to the design but the fabric choice takes the design to a fresh perspective. The beauty of the exposed timber becomes the hero- it’s the fabric choice that allows this to happen. The fabric is in contrast to the timber- it has a cool, almost sterile vibe but an inviting texture softens that. I love the flecks of colour running through the textile weave. This adds depth and just a subtle amount of interest so as to not take any attention from the timber. Circa 70 don’t skimp on anything- this fabric is top of the range. I’m not sure of the brand and range- I just know good upholstery when I see it. It would certainly cost MORE than our asking price to get this pair renovated to this standard and quality. I also love how Circa 70 have streamlined the original cushions- this greatly improves the look and promotes a more timeless style- this pair will never date. That’s why I travelled for the best part of a day to work with these. It’s too expensive these days for me to have items renovated to this standard- when something like this gets offered to me, I don’t hesitate.
The look of the Flerena swivel chair not only rivals (or surpasses) the famed Tessa T21 swivel chair, the comfort is virtually the same as well. (Compare the Flerena to a Tessa T21 and the proportions, angles etc are not much different.) The comfort of these is sublime- it’s a nice chair to read in, have conversations in and watch TV. Additionally, the quality is exactly the same as Tessa T21 chairs. When you look under the chairs you’ll see that the construction technique is very similar. The timber sections are clad onto a heavy steel substructure- these chairs would be virtually impossible to break and if handled with any sense, they will last much longer than both you and I.
The other thing I like about this Flerena pair is the investment appeal. These are an EARLIER vintage than Tessa- this suite is moving towards 60 years old and they’re much, much harder to find compared to the T21. Tessa T21 swivel chairs had a production run of about 50 years. I’d say this Flerena design would have been in production for a few years at the most. This design is almost impossible to come by. I doubt you’ll ever come across another pair in someone else’s lounge room- the interior design appeal here is second to none.
A pair of Tessa T21 swivel chairs similar to these retailed for about $8,000 the pair back in 2019 just before Tessa went out of business. This Flerena pair is a no-brainer investment. If you look after them, I can’t see them losing any value in the future.
This pair is nearing 60 years old- just look at them! No guessing the quality here. They’ve been recently renovated by the best in the business and are ready for another lifetime of enjoyment. After much of the world’s mass-produced furniture ends up as landfill, these Flerena swivel chairs will be passed onto another user and eventually a new generation. Now that Tessa (and FLER) Furniture is not made anymore, I can’t see any reason why Flerena chairs (made in AUSTRALIA) won’t slowly increase to the value that Tessa T21 suites were selling for new (ie. around $8,000 for the pair). There’s no better way I can think of to invest in your home, the future of our environment and our local community.
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