Description
ONE CHAIR WITH ONE FOOTSTOOL SOLD THROUGH iNVISeDGE FOR $1395 IN 2017. (We’d sell a pair of chairs with matching footstools for around $2595.) Other items shown in the photos priced SEPARATELY!
Provenance and Background Info
(Written in 2017).
ONE single swivel chair AND ONE matching footstool in PREMIUM leather by South Australian furniture maker Joe Rufenacht. (2ND CHAIR AND OTHER MATCHING PIECES ARE PRICED SEPARATELY). I’d say this suite is late 1970’s because of the Rosewood stained frame but it could be early 1980’s- I’m certain it’s some of Rufenact’s earlier work. Rufenacht started in the mid-1970’s and by 1980 he’d pocketed more design awards than any other furniture maker in Australia. So why does everyone go gaga over Parker when furniture like this is better built and more highly regarded? Parker is everywhere- everyone knows it, everyone has seen it. Rufenacht’s designs are virtually impossible to find (they were very expensive in their day) which means they slide under the radar somewhat but anyone with a honed eye knows what they’re seeing. His designs tick every box- a resounding tick for comfort, design, quality and investment-appeal. This swivel chair design won the prestigious Australian design award back in 1978. Rufenacht told ABC in 2006 that it took him 40 different prototypes to get his dining chair right- the design here probably took the same or more.
This furniture is an obvious furniture investment. The design looks very similar to the coveted Norwegian Falcon chair. Falcon chairs in Australia have risen in value from about $1100 back in 2002 to $2000 EACH in 2016- not a bad earner for something you also get to sit in and enjoy in the meantime! (I wrote that sentence in 2016- in 2017 there was ONE Falcon chair on ebay for $2350- people are still going crazy for Falcons.)
Rufenacht’s furniture will last while you get to use it. The quality of this chair EXCEEDS that of the Falcon chair (easily). The leather on this suite is about 40 years old. (It’s prestigious Howe leather- one of the footstools that came with this suite has the vintage Howe leather tag on it.) With normal use this furniture will look virtually the same as it does today in another 30 or 40 years. This is an obvious investment not just financially but from an environmental standpoint- all elements have been chosen to last the long-haul.
The big thing I like about this chair is that it swivels. The Falcon doesn’t and because of this I rate it higher than the Falcon overall (and because the quality of this chair is clearly better than a Falcon). I’ve spoken to collectors who have owned Rufenacht furniture and Falcon chairs and they agree.
After many modern pieces end up as landfill this 40-year-old chair WITH matching footstool will be passed onto another owner and then an entirely new 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 17 years I agree. JR furniture (Rufenacht’s company) closed its doors in 2006 unable to compete with cheap overseas imports any longer. The 30+ year history of this Australian business has etched a permanent place in Australian furniture production history and if his work is not already in Australian museums and galleries, it will be.
And there’s one last thing to add. The headrests of this suite all screw off- easily and quickly. If you have a smaller space and need less-imposing furniture a more minimalist look can be achieved in minutes. I have a photo of Rufenacht furniture I’ve sold in the past WITHOUT the head-rest on- let me know if you want to see this photo. (THIS LISTING PRICE IS FOR ONE SINGLE SWIVEL CHAIR PLUS ONE MATCHING FOOTSTOOL ONLY.
