Description

SOLD (June 2023) within a few weeks of being listed

OFFERS OVER- $1650 PER CHAIR. OFFERS OVER $2400 for one chair AND one footstool will be considered. OFFERS OVER $3300 FOR BOTH chairs will also be considered. Offers over $4000 for BOTH chairs and one footstool will be considered more favourably. (The footstools are VERY HARD TO GET and very sought-after.) $4750 for the FULL 4-piece suite will be given precedence over any other offer.

RRP NEW of the full 4-piece suite in 2019 (when Tessa went out of business)- approx. $12,500.

This suite is extremely rare! Tessa Delmonts in soft upholstery (NOT leather) virtually never come up. I’ve NEVER had a Tessa Delmont suite in the ORIGINAL soft vintage fabric ever (after about 21 years of trading). And this fabric is close to PERFECT! There are many dealers these days who are choosing to re-upholster Tessa suites in an upholstery like this. But this is the original wool berber (I’d say from the early-1980’s) in INCREDIBLE condition for the age. It’s an incredible upholstery all round. The HIGHEST quality (I’d say it’s 100% pure wool- it definitely has that feel to it anyway) and it’s the perfect colour / tone in my eyes. This is neutral with a very slight earthy / greyish slant. This lighter tone upholstery is MUCH better suited to the Tessa Delmont design.

Tessa Delmonts are very bold in dark leathers and dark timber frames, lighter tones pare back the boldness and softens the look. This suite is not visually imposing but still certainly noticed- this would look brilliant in heaps of spaces, even a small apartment!

This particular suite has the minimalist look of Scandinavian furniture with a touch of boldness to give it an intriguing slant.

The Delmont design is even more sought-after than the Tessa T21. The Delmont has more exposed timber giving it a designer look with a nice earthy slant. This design helps bring Mother Nature inside your home- the warmth of the timber gives this suite an inviting look. Unlike a lot of designer furniture of today, the Delmont is NOT sterile and clinical-looking. (The opposite really).

Tessa went out of business in 2019. I’m pretty sure the Delmont design was their most expensive item when they closed. This is an authentic VINTAGE Delmont suite, made in Australia- most likely from the very early 1980’s. The original armrest protectors were obviously taken off at some stage. I’m not sure if the armrest protectors are still there (you’ll sometimes find them under the seat cushions). Many people (myself included) think this design looks better without the armrest protectors. The sun-bleaching on the armrests is not jarring at all with this pair. There is some tonal variation (which verifies this is a VINTAGE suite but does not spoil the look of this suite at all). It just verifies this is a NATURAL product- it gives the suite a nice organic look. China have recently started making chairs out of plastic RESIN to mimic the look of timber (that’s right folks- we now have fake timber chairs made out of plastic (!)- what is the world coming to … ) It’s obvious this suite is REAL and VINTAGE. Watch the value of VINTAGE Tessa furniture rise in the future. Suites like this were made new by Tessa for around $12,500 in 2019 when they closed, therefore vintage Tessa Furniture has a long way to go up before values will start to peter out. And it’s the VINTAGE Tessa suites (just like this one) that will enjoy the strongest gains.

Just before Tessa closed, many of the newer Tessa suites were actually made in China. This suite is vintage- therefore it was made in AUSTRALIA … 100% guaranteed! Go to some of our other Tessa Delmont / Tessa T21 listings (use our SEARCH box) to marvel at the sub-structure of this design. The workmanship here is not only impressive but inspiring.

You won’t find another suite like this for some time again (if ever). You snooze, you lose! Express your interest early.

Background Info and Provenance

(This description was updated in May 2023)

The Tessa Delmont / T21 design is arguably the most sought-after chair to ever come out of Australia. The Contour range by Grant Featherston is probably the most collectable in terms of dollar-value, but this design, the T21 Delmont swivel chair, released by Tessa in the early 1970’s is, in my experience, the most asked-for chair (written- 2023). The value of T21 (and Delmont) furniture has sky-rocketed during COVID-19 lockdowns- the popularity increased very quickly (and NOTICEABLY) since the first Delmont suite I ever sold (which was back in March 2020 just before the first lockdown). This design is technically not the T21 design but the Delmont. The Delmont design is less known only because there are very few around. After over 21-years in this business, this is the forth time I’ve had Tessa Delmont furniture. I completely understand why so many people want them! The quality just jumps out at you and the comfort … OMG … after sitting in one of these chairs I didn’t want to get up! But alas I had to get to work photographing these chairs.

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 chair creating a classier look, the cushions have been streamlined and the armrest protectors have been markedly improved (in this case they were later taken off). I don’t like the armrest protectors on the T21 or Delmont design and in fact, I take them off whenever possible.

After a 50-year stint in the Australian Marketplace, making virtually ALL their furniture in AUSTRALIA, Tessa Furniture died late 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 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 chairs is so exceptional that second-hand pieces often still look close to new after 10, 20, 30, 40 … even 50 years of use. In this listing you’re getting chairs that look close to new but they’re about one third to one half the price of new ones.

Today in 2021, I believe this chair- the T21 Delmont swivel chair- by Tessa, is THE best investment in the furniture marketplace. T21 chairs retailed NEW in FULL-GRAIN leather for about $4400 EACH just before Tessa went under- at my price it should be obvious to anybody that the only way the value of these vintage chairs can go, is up.

This suite is about 40 years old and just look at it! No guessing the quality here. After much of the world’s furniture ends up as landfill, this suite will be passed onto another user and eventually a whole 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. around $4000 EACH). There’s no better way I can think of to invest in your home, the future of our environment and support local small business.

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