The full suite, 2-seater sofa and matching pair of chairs SOLD within 4 days of being listed for $1850. (April, 2022).
This listing is for TWO TESSA T1 Leather Chairs- BOTH armchairs. The matching two-seater sofa is available SEPARATELY.
This suite is being SOLD UNDER CONSIGNMENT by a regular iNVISeDGE seller in ADELAIDE but can be transported Australia-wide for a reasonable additional fee. To give you an idea of cost, it’d be ABOUT $220 to get BOTH chairs to Melbourne.
Background Info and Provenance
(Written in 2022)
Designed by Fred Lowen for Tessa, it was the T1 that shot Tessa to fame after becoming a winner of the Dunhill Design Award in 1970. Tessa Furniture quickly became an internationally desirable furniture manufacturer, in Australia and throughout Europe. This appeal continues today. I really love the Tessa T1 design. Normally I don’t like the buttons thing, but on this design, it really gives the suite an opulent style. It has that Chesterfield look happening but this is a much more-sleek version of the Chesterfield. There’s the warm homely look of the Chesterfield coupled with a sleek Danish twist instead of the bulkiness of the Chesterfield. This suite is also SUPER-COMFORTABLE! Perfect in the home-study or in front of the fireplace- don’t miss this one. These 50-year-old suites don’t come up much, particularly in well-looked-after leather.
These chairs are FULL-GRAIN BOVINE vintage leather ie. the real deal. After the mid-1990s until they closed in 2019, Tessa often used the inferior TOP-GRAIN leather. Top-Grain leather is NOT TOP-GRADE leather- it’s the inferior THIN modern-day leather that deteriorates within about 10-20 years. FULL-GRAIN leather is the best leather you can get (and the only leather you want).
You’ll sometimes see second-hand Tessa suites where the leather has completely ripped at the seams or cracked all the way through within 10 or 20 years of use- this is always MODERN Top-Grain Leather. This leather is NOT that. The suite has various FULL-GRAIN LEATHER labels on the underside of the cushions to verify this.
After a 50-year stint in the Australian Marketplace, making virtually ALL their furniture in AUSTRALIA, Tessa Furniture died in 2019. It’s a sorry state of affairs when an Australian business can no longer do what they do so well because of cheap imports destined to end up as landfill. And this is the very reason why Tessa eventually died. Their designs are so well-made that vintage second-hand Tessa pieces ended up becoming more sought-after than new Tessa Furniture. And who can blame people going straight to the second-hand market for designs such as this? The QUALITY of this design is so exceptional that second-hand ones (in quality upholstery / leather) often still look basically new after 20, 30, 40 even 50 years of use.
The investment appeal of this suite is a NO-BRAINER. Tessa full grain leather suites are now becoming highly sought-after, and prices are continuing to rise for them. When Tessa was back in business, they wouldn’t have been even able to make them for this price. Probably not even HALF this!
This pair of chairs is over 40 years old and are just incredible! No guessing the quality here (including the leather). After much of the world’s furniture ends up as landfill, these chairs will be passed onto another user and eventually a new generation. There’s no better wy to invest in your home.
2203
These chairs - and in fact the full suite - is in incredible original condition for a suite that's about 50 years old! This suite is heavy and very solidly built- the T1 design is very strong and durable. I've never seen anything structurally wrong with a T1 Tessa lounge ever- this suite is no exception. The suite came with armrest protectors in matching chocolate brown coloured leather, which are removable. The chairs have been photographed both with and without the armrest protectors to enable prospective buyers to see the chairs in both profiles. There is minimal fading on the timber arms to the section that was exposed to sunlight- the timber that was under the armrests is slightly darker but this is not really noticeable. The leather cushions have very minor signs of use but nothing that’s noticeable at all. We have had this suite cleaned and conditioned by a reputable leather technician in Adelaide, and it is looking fantastic. There is one small flaw in one of the front legs which can be seen in the photos. It was a small gouge in the timber that has been carefully filled-in- this small spot is slightly darker than the rest of the timber- purely cosmetic and a pedantic comment. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The leather has NO holes, NO noticeable wear, NO noticeable marks, NO stains, NO cracks into the leather, NO smells. The leather is still soft and supple. The cushioning is all in excellent condition- Tessa used top-quality cushioning that lasts several generations. The cushioning is all plush and comfortable but these cushions are supportive as well. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Overall, the suite presents very well and will last the long-haul. The colour is accurately represented on my monitor in our array of photos.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tessa T1 fixed chairs. Measurements. Width - 74 cm. Depth - 83 cm. Height - 89 cm.
Read my 1200+ ebay feedback comments (ALL for furniture and decorative arts SALES) to be assured that the lounges are described as accurately as possible and that I will not purchase items of inferior quality or with significant cosmetic flaws.
Interstate delivery can be arranged by one of our friendly team. See our FAQ section for further info.
Click on "About iNVISeDGE" at the top of this page for more information about iNVISeDGE.
