Description
SOLD for $2500 for the chair AND footstool in March 2022. We usually have some Tessa T21 pieces in storage- enquire if you’d like to invest in this design. Follow us on Instagram- instagram.com/invisedge
Price is $2500 for ONE CHAIR and ONE FOOTSTOOL (as pictured). We also have ONE 2-seater sofa with sled-base at our Morayfield depot in Brisbane which came from a different suite. The 3-seater sofa has SOLD.
The investment appeal of this suite is a NO-BRAINER. The Tessa swivel chair with one footstool retailed NEW for about $6,500 before Tessa went out of business in 2019.
Look at the frame here … especially the steel sub-structure underneath (the timber base-pieces are clad onto steel). This suite was built to last GENERATIONS (… forever???). Proof in that comment is in the condition of this suite after 40 YEARS of family use. Marvel at this craftsmanship. It’s no wonder Tessa T21’s have held up so well to use over the years- these pieces were built to last generations!
Background Info and Provenance
(This section about Tessa T21 chairs was written in 2020 with some adaptions made for these pieces on offer. These chairs are technically called the Tessa Executive Chair (not the T21- the cushions here are more streamlined compared to the Tessa T21. These streamlined cushions are more desirable compared to the standard T21).
This is arguably the most sought-after chair design to ever come out of Australia. The Contour range by Grant Featherston is probably the most collectable in terms of dollar-value; this one, the T21 swivel chair, released by Tessa in the early 1970’s, is easily the most asked-for vintage chair through the iNVISeDGE website. When I experienced sitting in a Tessa T21 / Executive swivel chair for the first time, I instantly knew why so many people ask me to buy them. The quality just jumps out at you but it’s the comfort that everyone is after! … OMG … after sitting in a T21, I didn’t want to ever get up! During lock-downs (especially around April 2020) I had phone calls from people almost on a daily basis asking for T21 swivel chairs, T21 swivel chairs WITH MATCHING FOOTSTOOLS or full T21 lounge suites.
I can picture these swivel chairs in a small library nook (or even in front of a fireplace). The footprint of these chairs is not big but visually they’re stunning- they have a bold, confident look. This suite is in the most popular colours Tessa ever did for these. These pieces are all upholstered in 100% FULL-GRAIN BOVINE LEATHER- the real deal. There is now a blog in the iNVISeDGE NEWLY LISTED section describing the differences between Top-Grain and Full-Grain leather (find the image of a vintage Howe Leather leaflet from the late-1970’s in our NEWLY LISTED section). Be aware that Top-Grain leather is NOT TOP-GRADE leather- it’s the inferior modern-day leather that usually disintegrates within about 20 years of use.
You’ll sometimes see second-hand Tessa suites where the leather has completely ripped at the seams or cracked all the way through after about 10 years of use- this is always MODERN Top-Grain Leather. This leather is VINTAGE (from the early 1980’s)- it’s NOT the cheaper leather we see around today. This suite retains various labels on the underside of the cushions to verify the age of these.
After a 50-year stint in the Australian Marketplace, making virtually ALL their furniture in AUSTRALIA, Tessa Furniture died in 2019. It’s a sad 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 pieces (in quality upholstery / leather) often still look basically new after 10, 20, 30, 40 … and even 50 years of use. In this listing you’re getting chairs that present extremely well but there’s REAL investment appeal on offer here because these are VINTAGE pieces with irrefutable proof of the age (because of these labels)!
Today in 2020, I believe this design- the T21 swivel chair by Tessa- is THE best investment in the furniture marketplace. Everyone seems to want them, they are NO LONGER in production so more people will hang onto theirs for a lifetime of enjoyment. Therefore, less and less will be coming onto the secondary market. T21 chairs retailed NEW for about $4400 EACH (in FULL-GRAIN leather) just before Tessa went under- at this price (not much more than 1/3 retail) it should be obvious to anybody that the only way the value of these chairs can go … is up.
These chairs are about 40 years old and look at them! Just mind-blowing really! No guessing the quality on offer (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. Now that Tessa Furniture is not made anymore, I can’t see any reason why this design (made in AUSTRALIA) won’t slowly increase to the value they were selling for new (ie. $4400 EACH). There’s no better way I can think of to invest in your home, the future of our environment and local community.
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