Description
FULL SUITE SOLD TO PHIL IN MELBOURNE. This 3-piece suite (the 2-seater sofa & pair of swivel chairs) SOLD for $3950 including delivery a couple of suburbs away (March 2020- a few days before lock-down).
THE LISTED PRICE OF $1295 WAS FOR THE 2-SEATER SOFA ONLY. THE PAIR OF CHAIRS ARE PRICED AND LISTED SEPARATELY.
Full Retail Price of the full-suite NEW from Tessa (now defunct) in FULL-GRAIN LEATHER-
APPROX AU $12 000!
IMPORTANT NOTE- This suite is FULL-GRAIN LEATHER. Top-Grain Leather is heavily processed and inferior. DON’T be deceived! FULL-GRAIN leather is the ONLY leather where the FULL-hide has had virtually no processing. Top-Grain leather is the TOP-GRAIN only- all the underside has been split off leaving the TOP ONLY- it’s the thin modern-day CHEAP alternative that first came into existence when cheap Chinese furniture started taking over the Australian marketplace (around the late 1980’s). TOP-GRAIN leather is susceptible to splitting, rips, deep cracks that quickly rip open and splitting at the seams. If you see leather that has ripped at the seams it’s virtually always TOP-GRAIN leather- Top-Grain leather sells for LESS than half the price of full-grain leather (per square metre of hide) because it’s rubbish!
Background Info and Provenance
(This description was updated in Feb 2020)
This is the first 2-seater leather sofa with an exposed timber-frame I’ve had in years. This design is an improvement of the Tessa T21, called the Delmont. The Delmont design is less known only because there are so few around. After 19-years in this business, this is the first Tessa Delmont piece I’ve had. I completely understand why so many people want T21 / Delmont suites . The quality just jumps out at you and the comfort … OMG … after sitting in any piece in the T21 / Delmont range you’ll never want to get up!
The only real difference I can see between the Tessa Delmont and the T21 is a refinement on the T21. The exposed timber runs up the entire side of the sofa creating a classier look, the cushions have been streamlined and the armrest protectors have been markedly improved. I don’t like the armrest protectors on the T21 design and in fact, I take them off whenever possible however these protectors are unobtrusive and enhance the comfort of the chairs so they’re a smart addition.
After a 50-year stint in the Australian Marketplace, making ALL their furniture in AUSTRALIA, Tessa Furniture died early last year. 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 the second-hand market for 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 these? The QUALITY of these suites are so exceptional that second-hand pieces often still look basically new after 10, 20, 30, even 40 years of use. (THIS COMMENT ONLY APPLIES TO SUITES IN FULL-GRAIN LEATHER THOUGH- read further below). In this listing you’re getting a sofa that looks close to new but at about one third the price of a new one.
Tessa Furniture is NO LONGER in production (and there has been a sudden spike in demand since they went under). I believe more people will hang onto their Tessa items for a lifetime of enjoyment, therefore there will be less and less coming onto the secondary market. Two-seater T21 Delmont sofas retailed NEW in FULL-GRAIN leather for about $4400 just before Tessa went under- at my price (not much more than ONE QUARTER retail) it should be obvious to anybody that the only way the value of this suite can go, is up.
This particular suite is about as good as you can get. The leather is neutral in colour which really suits the boldness of this design- it helps rein it back a notch. Additionally, you have to be careful buying Tessa Furniture. Tessa went through a stage (I believe from about 1987 to 2010) when cheaper leathers were used. I recently saw a second-hand Tessa T21 chair being sold online in a cheaper leather. The back-headrest leather had completely cracked through- other cracking and splitting at the seams will be inevitable if you buy a Tessa chair in a cheaper leather. Some of these cheaper “leathers” can completely fall apart within 10 years. This pair is upholstered in quality FULL-GRAIN leather- the quality is obvious just from looking at the photos but it’s even more beautiful to experience in the flesh. (This is likely to be Howe Leather- a premium Australian leather). FULL-GRAIN leather is infinitely better than TOP-GRAIN leathers (or the newer Tessa releases where the leather-type wasn’t disclosed). FULL-GRAIN leather is the FULL leather hide- it has been processed VERY LITTLE and if you clean this furniture after heavy use and condition it 3 or 4 times a year, full-grain leather usually lasts 50 years (but often much longer- I’ve sold many leather lounge suites that were 60 years old and ready for another 60 years of use or more). Pigmented FULL-GRAIN leather (like this) is the best leather you can buy and the most durable. TOP-GRAIN leather is NOT- top-grain leathers can’t (and never will) last as long as full-grain leather.
This suite is about 15 years old and look at it! No guessing the quality here. After much of the world’s furniture ends up as landfill, this vintage Tessa lounge suite will be passed onto another user and eventually a whole new generation. Now that Tessa Furniture is no longer being made, 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. around $12 000 FOR THE FULL SUITE). There’s no better way I can think of to invest in your home, the future of our environment and our local community.
Ref- 2002
