Name: Tessa T21 Swivel Chair. ONE Only AVAIL. VINTAGE Lounge Chair. FULL-GRAIN Leather.
SKU: 11033
Price: 1295.00 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock

$1,295.00

This PAIR of Tessa T21’s and the matching footstool SOLD Christian in January 2020 for $3650 within 7 days of being listed on the iNVISeDGE website. All 3 pieces SOLD for more than the reserve price. This listing has also been uploaded for people wishing to express interest in buying or selling a similar item through iNVISeDGE and for research purposes. Click on the links below.

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This PAIR of Tessa T21’s and the matching footstool SOLD to Christian for $3650 (BOTH chairs AND the footstool) within 7 days of being listed on the iNVISeDGE website in January 2020. All 3 pieces SOLD for MORE than the reserve price of $1295 PER CHAIR. (The photographed suite attracted multiple offers.)

THE LISTED PRICE WAS- OFFERS OVER $1295– WAS FOR ONE CHAIR ONLY. THE 2ND CHAIR WAS PRICED SEPARATELY.

Background Info and Provenance

(Written in Dec 2019)

This 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 swivel chair, released by Tessa in the early 1970’s is, in my experience, the most asked-for chair. After 19-years in this business, this is the first Tessa T21 chair I’ve experienced in the flesh (I’ve obviously seen many in photos though)! After experiencing these chairs in person, I quickly understood 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 ever get up again! But alas I had to get to work photographing this suite, and then doing a clean and condition of the leather for our customer.

After a 50-year stint in the Australian Marketplace, making ALL their furniture in AUSTRALIA, Tessa Furniture died early this 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. The irony is- 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 these second-hand chairs often look basically new after 10, 20, 30, even 40 years of use (as our photos show). In this listing you’re getting a 10-year-old chair that looks close to new but for about one quarter the price of a new one.

Today as we near 2020, I believe this chair- the T21 swivel chair by Tessa, is THE best investment in the Australian furniture marketplace. EVERYONE seems to want them at the moment and because they are NO LONGER in production, 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 just before Tessa went under- at my price (a bit more than ONE QUARTER retail) it should be very obvious to anybody that the only way the value of these chairs can go, is up.

This pair 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 in the 1990’s and the early “noughties”) when customers could opt to use cheap leathers. We’ve all seen what these “leathers” do- some just disintegrate completely within 10 years. This pair is upholstered in quality ASPEN leather by Moore & Giles of Germany. ASPEN is the World’s first and only leather to receive a Declare Label. The Declare Label is a tool to show customers that the product is one that can be trusted from a sustainability, toxicity, pollution and environmental stand-point. Crafted from premium hides, Aspen is an award-winning leather containing no plastics. It is a pure aniline leather which means it must be conditioned (water-proofed) regularly to keep it looking the way it currently does. (I will soon be buying in bulk the product I would use to condition the leather on chairs like this and selling it through iNVISeDGE- the conditioner I will soon stock is also a completely natural product.)

This pair of chairs is about 10 years old and look at them! No guessing the quality here. After most of the world’s new furniture quickly ends up as landfill, these chairs will be passed onto another user and eventually a whole new generation. Now that Tessa Furniture is no longer being made anymore, I can’t see any reason why this design (made in AUSTRALIA) won’t slowly increase to what they were selling for new (ie. around $4400 EACH). There’s no better way I can think of to invest in your home, the future of our environment and our local community.

Ref- 1912

Both chairs are in brilliant original condition and have very minimal signs of use- certainly nothing that's noticed or spoil the chairs. Both chairs are heavy and very solidly built- the T21 design is particularly strong and durable. I've never seen anything structurally wrong with a T21 Tessa chair ever- these chairs are no exception. The swivel mechanism on both chairs works perfectly. These chairs came with armrest protectors in matching dark-cognac leather. I prefer this design without the armrest protectors so have taken them off. The armrest protectors are still with the chairs if you want them. There is minimal fading on the timber arms to the section that was exposed to sunlight- the timber that was under the armrests is slightly darker but this is not noticeable and doesn't affect the presentation of these chairs at all. The leather cushions have been professionally cleaned and conditioned and have only very minor signs of use (nothing that’s noticeable at all). This suite was used in the “good room”. The leather has NO holes, NO noticeable wear, NO noticeable marks, NO stains, NO cracks into the leather. The leather is still soft and supple. The cushioning is all in excellent condition- Tessa use top-quality cushioning that lasts several generations. The cushioning is plush and comfortable but these cushions are supportive as well. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Overall, the chairs both present very well and will last the long-haul. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tessa T21 swivels. Measurements. Width- cm. Depth- cm. Height- cm. Read my 1200+ ebay feedback comments (ALL for furniture and decorative arts SALES) to be assured that the lounges are described as accurately as possible and that I will not purchase items of inferior quality or with significant cosmetic flaws.

Tessa T21 Swivel Chair. ONE Only AVAIL. VINTAGE Lounge Chair. FULL-GRAIN Leather.

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