Description

Provenance and Background Info

(Written in 2024)

A stunning PAIR of VINTAGE LEATHER bar stools by highly acclaimed South Australian furniture designer and manufacturer Joe Rufenacht. These are bloody rare! I’ve been a fan of Rufenacht’s work since I first discovered it way back in 2004- I didn’t even know the bar stools existed until about 2017. I came across a photo of a single one in 2017 and was immediately in awe of the design. These are the second set of Rufenacht bar stools I’ve seen in the flesh. TH Brown and Sons bar stools are iconic and special but I think this design by Rufenacht is clearly better. TH Brown bar stools are an Australian original design- these stools are too but they’re much more comfortable than TH Brown stools, they have leather upholstery (as opposed to vinyl) and there’s a lot more investment appeal tied up in this pair. I value TH Brown barstools at $1700 THE PAIR in iNVISeDGE (in 2024). The price of this pair here in iNVISeDGE today is a no-brainer- particularly when you consider that the new re-issues of TH Brown barstools are now selling for $2300 the PAIR. These are infinitely harder to get than TH Brown stools as well!

Sinewy and flowing with a distinct Scandinavian flavour, these are NOT a copy of anything else I’ve ever come across. Yes; they pay homage to the famous Falcon chair but they take that design to a new level. Falcon chairs are fetching up to $5,600 THE PAIR in Australia- these are the same vintage and I think they’re just as special.

There was a time in the late-1970’s when Joe Rufenacht had won more furniture design awards than anybody else in Australia. ‘How?’ you may ask, when virtually no-one has ever heard him. Because Rufenacht was a stickler for quality and fastidious about furniture. One of his chair designs was put through 40 prototypes! I’m not sure I’d ever have the patience to re-build something from scratch 40-times before releasing it to the public (and I’m very patient!)

The investment appeal box is ticked, comfort- ticked (I’d say these are the most comfortable bar stool I’ve ever sat in) which leaves quality and value for money.

After many modern pieces end up as landfill, these 45 year old chairs will be passed onto another owner and then yet another generation. It was said on the ABC in 2006 that Rufenacht’s furniture will be the antiques of tomorrow and after being in this business for over 20 years I agree. JR furniture (Rufenacht’s company) closed its doors in 2006, unable to compete with cheap overseas imports any longer- the quality of JR items is not comparable to virtually any furniture import I’ve seen. As an example of the quality, Rufenacht only used Howe Leather. (There’s a vintage Howe Leather label under at least one of these.) I believe Howe Leather from the 1970’s and 1980’s is some of the best leather ever made. I have sold vintage Italian leather and the rest … in my eyes the leather of these chairs is as good as any other leather you’ll find.

Designs like this are the reason I do this job. They’re inspirational and show us all the way forward. Most modern furniture is made with little respect for the earth’s resources and even less for the workers who make them (they’re virtually slaves). If these chairs were made today in Australia, I would still promote them but the fact they’re vintage (and no longer made) makes them all the more special. There’s no better way I can think of to invest in your home and our environment.

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