Description
SOLD quickly! (In 2025.)
LOCATION- being sold under consignment by a private seller in Elsternwick, MELBOURNE. I personally travelled to this location to take these photos so I’d be fully versed in what I was selling. This furniture can be sent Australia-wide for a reasonable additional fee- approximately $260 to get this 3-piece sofa to Sydney.
Our listed price is for the 3-pieces that push together to form a 3-seater sofa. The pieces shown were sold in the first day they were listed for significantly more than the offers over price. This vendor had 2 of these suites on offer. He’d had a suite at home for years and loved it so much, he bought a second suite for his office. The other buyer purchased his other 3-seater sofa, 4 armchairs, the coffee table and the footstool. THERE IS ONLY ONE 3-PIECE SECTIONAL SOFA LEFT- price is set at $2,750 for all 3 pieces that form a 3-seater sofa.
Values for this lounge furniture have sky-rocketed in recent years (this furniture has finally been given the recognition it deserves by the buying public)) and it’s not hard to see why. The quality is exceptional and the comfort, even better. This furniture holds you in perfect seating position- the segmented cushions meld to the shape of your back beautifully. Plus you can slouch down in this furniture for a really relaxed, casual comfort- (great for TV marathons). In the slouched position, your head is supported by the top segment. It’s surprising to get two types of comfort from lounge furniture- this is why it’s so sought-after. We’ve had several people remember this furniture from when they were young- they didn’t want anything else. It also has a really sophisticated vibe- rustic and earthy, but with a designer edge. This furniture sits alongside Tessa in the popularity stakes at the moment but is WAY harder to find compared to Tessa furniture. Tessa furniture had a 50-YEAR stint in the marketplace. These Norman Archibald items were only made for a few years (in the mid-1970’s).
Provenance and Background Info
Written in 2023 but updated in 2025
A Norman Archibald 3-seater lounge sofa. The suite on offer in this listing consists of 3 pieces that push together to form a sofa- one piece with a right-hand arm, a middle piece with no arms and the third piece has a left arm. This modular furniture is really versatile and rarely seen in the shops anymore. You can take out the middle piece to form a 2-seater sofa and then the armless piece becomes a separate chair. I love the piece without armrests. It has such a minimalist vibe but is still bold- very intriguing indeed. You can also create an L-shape configuration and put a side table in the corner. This is the first 3-seater sofa in this design I’ve seen in the flesh (after 25 years of trading)- rare is an understatement. These Norman Archibald designs were MADE IN BAYSWATER, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA for several years from 1974.
This is undoubtedly some of the best QUALITY furniture I’ve come across in the last 25 years of being in this business (if not the best). These pieces are solid and heavy. If used with any sense, it’s likely they will last FOREVER. For most items being sold through iNVISeDGE, I can confidently say the item will last generations but for this furniture I believe the frames will last forever. This is because Norman Archibald has used traditional, TENON and MORTICE joints to form these exposed timber plug ends. This not only creates an interesting visual look but means the joint areas are as strong as chair-joints can possibly be. These joints extend ALL THE WAY through the supporting posts which means it’s impossible for them to prise apart. Cracks in the joint area and other joint-damage is virtually impossible which means these frames will last forever (providing you use and transport them with a little sense). The saddle-leather on Norman Archibald furniture is also some of the most luxurious chair-upholstery I’ve seen. This leather is SUPER thick and just beautiful! You don’t see upholstery of this QUALITY in furniture anymore (except in some of the premium brands such as Cassina and B & B Italia). Six Cassina Cab dining chairs will now set you back about AU $16,000! (Written in 2025.)
Norman Archibald’s furniture is a triumph in Australian furniture design and craftsmanship. It’s deservedly included in important gallery and museum collections Australia-wide such as the NGV collection. Founded in 1861, the NGV is the oldest and most visited gallery in Australia. This Gallery hosts a wide range of international and local artists, exhibitions and events; from contemporary art to major international historic exhibitions, fashion and design, architecture, sound and dance. http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/about/.
The cushions of this lounge suite sitting on the saddle leather are upholstered in soft, FULL-GRAIN leather. Full-grain leather will also last lifetimes if you look after it. This Australian leather, made in the 1970’s, is some of the best leather ever made (if not the best).
The biggest thing this Norman Archibald lounge has going for it is the COMFORT. These are GREAT to lounge in. They may not look that comfortable but make no mistake, they are! It’s beautiful to settle back in this design (there’s plenty of room to find your own comfort in these chairs too). The top cushion also fits in the small of your neck (and beautifully). You can allow your head to rest fully back (and that comfort is totally awesome!) or have your head supported with this top cushion if you’re watching TV. The backs are low (which tailors a more stream-lined look) but the lower backs are NOT at the expense of comfort. The cushion filling is perfect (and brilliant in quality) plus there are air-vents on the backs of every cushion to allow the air to release slowly when you sit down. I’ve only seen this feature in very high-end furniture. It’s costly to do and provides additional comfort.
After experiencing this design in the flesh a few years ago I can confidently say it’s undervalued. This vintage designer furniture has some way to go before it hits anywhere near it’s true value. This was very expensive furniture back in its day. This guarantees the future re-sale value (providing you use it with some sense). Vintage Tessa chairs are fetching more than this and the quality of this furniture exceeds that of Tessa (I can’t believe I’m even writing that … but it’s true- the mortice and tenon joints provides next level construction quality.)
With the warm-grain orientation from this beautiful eucalyptus-timber and the FULL-GRAIN leathers, this Norman Archibald suite has incredible INVESTMENT appeal. The craftsmanship, timber and leather are all a stunning combination so the LOOKS box also gets a resounding tick. I recently saw one of these vintage chairs in the waiting area of a chic hair salon in Collingwood, Melbourne. On the polished concrete floors, the earthiness and boldness of the design looked incredible! … Finally we need to consider conscious consumption.
This Norman Archibald furniture is almost 50 YEARS OLD and look at it! It certainly won’t be ending up in landfill anytime soon. Additionally, they were HAND-CRAFTED locally- so virtually no carbon emissions resulted from the manufacture and freight of these chairs. These chairs were crafted in Melbourne in the 1970’s and are still in Melbourne- they have not been shipped half-way around the globe from a developing economy! Shipping furniture in from overseas is not smart- we could and should be making our furniture in Australia again. Most mass-produced furniture is purposely built to end up as our landfill within about 10 years so we have to go out and buy more.
Visually stunning, these are true statement pieces and with their low-line backs they won’t dominate the space. I can picture these in a homely cottage up in the mountains- they look warm and inviting to use- not cold and clinical like most “designer” furniture these days.
iNVISeDGE – a breath of fresh air in this modern world and also for our environment. There’s no better way to invest in your home, reduce landfill and your carbon footprint.
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