Description
This full-suite (the 3-seater sofa AND matching pair of chairs) SOLD for $3300 in 2017. Today in 2019 I’d price the exact same suite at $3500. These are hard to find in this beautiful chocolate-coloured FULL-GRAIN leather. Stunning suite!
Background Info and Provenance
A 3-seater Tessa Sling lounge sofa in original condition and in top-quality vintage full-grain leather. (THE MATCHING CHAIRS WILL BE LISTED ON EBAY SEPARATELY.) This is the rarest design ever done by Tessa. The Tessa T4s, T8s and T21s are regularly seen as well as some of the newer designs but this design done in 1981 is elusive. I tried to do some additional research on the Sling design but there’s no information available. This is certainly a Tessa original- the cushions have original Tessa factory labels used in the 1970’s into the early 80’s. The sofa-frame also has an ink Tessa stamp on it. The early 80’s was a turbulent time for furniture manufacturers- cheap overseas imports were entering the market and it’s my belief that in 1981 this design couldn’t compete with other furniture being sold. Very few were sold and it would have been because of the high cost of manufacture. Creating curves in solid timber is not easy but creating a curve that runs from the top of the chair down to the bottom of the armrest is harder. Furniture like this is rarely seen because (price-wise) it can’t compete with what else is out there.
The big advantage of this is the quality of what’s on offer. This is a solid, heavy lounge- it has been built to last and already has. As much as I like the award-winning T4 design, the quality is not as good- the netting is problematic and the frame is laminated timber. The T4 has been made very well but the inherent properties of the design mean things can go wrong- the veneer on the frames can lift, bubble and chip off etc. The design on offer here is SOLID timber- it’s basically indestructible and with normal use will last well after you and I are gone. Another pointer of the quality here is the use of leather to cover the back as well. In virtually all other Tessa furniture canvas is used which fades, marks and stains- leather is the better (and more-costly) option.
This design is also comfortable- it mixes sitting comfort (good support, great angles) with lounge chair comfort (high back and plush comfort where you feel relaxed and comfy).
Fred Lowen’s designs are award-winning. He achieved much respect in the 1950’s (various Lowen designs are held in museums throughout Australia including the Powerhouse Museum) but it’s his designs from the 1970’s that won even more adulation. I believe this design done in 1981 is his best (it’s certainly there with the SC55 and the T5). I love the sweeping lines like a flowing ribbon (but in SOLID timber!) and the superior quality. It has the quality of the everlasting T21 design (there are derivatives of the T21 still being made by Tessa today) but it doesn’t have the bulkiness of the T21.The Tessa Sling design has all in it that Tessa was and more- it’s also very rare- try finding another suite like this. (The last time I came across the Sling design was about 3 years ago but that was with a 2-seater sofa which is not as sought-after and it was NOT in leather.)
To top it off the Tessa T4 sofas sell NEW today for around $5000. I rate these much higher than the T4. This is an outstanding investment that should at least hold its value over the years- you’ll never get that buying new.
The advantage of investing in vintage furniture is simple- when a suite looks like this after 35 years of use you have irrefutable proof of the quality you’re buying. There’s no better way I can think of to invest in your home and reduce your carbon footprint.
