Description
LOCATION- Lidcombe, SYDNEY.
Priced to sell! The matching armchairs are priced SEPARATELY! Listed price is for the sofa only.
IMPORTANT! The first 8 photos show a Van Treight sofa we sold way back in 2006. The sofa we have on offer here is shown in the final photos (it has armrests and beige-toned patterned fabric). This is second-generation fabric and as tough as nails! I’d say it’s 1980’s fabric- top quality and I bet it was expensive back in its day. This fabric has actually come to grow on me. I like that the tones are neutral overall and they’re warm earthy tones too. I have sandstone floors at home and this fabric would look really good in my home. (I am considering buying this myself.) I would recover the base section though (to pare back the busyness of the fabric a bit though). For the base, I would find a fabric that’s very similar to the fabric on the base of the green sofa but in a tone that’s basically the same colour as the timber. This means that you would never have to recover the base section ever again. And I’d just recover the base section myself. It could be done with no sewing. Cut out the fabric, fold back the edges where needed and then secure underneath. If the right fabric is chosen for the base, you’d never need to do this again. The green sofa has two different fabrics and that is why I think it looks so amazing- this crispens the look and accentuates its designer style. You could remove the armrests if you wanted to as well- if you prefer that minimalist look. I can’t decide whether I would or not (which is one of several reasons why I haven’t bought it for myself yet).
Description and Provenance
Written in 2026
This is one of the best sofas ever made in Australia. This piece was crafted by Van Treight of Sydney in the late-1950’s. It’s constructed of solid Coachwood, an Australian timber used predominantly in the 1950’s- by the 1960’s supplies had largely run out. Furniture makers turned to teak and blackwood- I don’t like either to be honest. I hate harshness and the tone of those 60’s timbers is too dark in my eyes- too bold, too brash, too-much. I prefer a more calming aesthetic in my home.
Van Treight was a renowned furniture design and manufacturing firm founded in 1934 by Dutch Immigrant, Frederick van Treight in Homebush, Sydney. The company quickly won praise for creating durable, stylish furniture, drawing from the fashions of Scandinavia at the time- coupled with modernist design aesthetics. This sofa looks amazing but looks are a very small part of the investment appeal. This Van Treight lounge has a designer look- there’s a vintage vibe but the look is timeless and elegant at the same time. And whilst it has a designer slant, it’s not cold and clinical looking. It has personality- but not one of those over-the-top personalities! (We all know them- can be so exhausting. But there’s nothing exhausting about this sofa at all- clean lines, a softness- it’s very pleasing all round.) This sofa is also warm and earthy- it invites you sit down, relax and enjoy the workmanship closer. I also love how it’s light-coloured timber (and would be even lighter if it was sanded back with an orbital sander and given a coat or two of colourless finish (this can be done easily- the products that do that are usually alcohol-based. As the finish dries, it won’t make the timber darker (like oil-based finishes can. I didn’t know this when I refinished the one I had in 2006.)
Apart from the looks, the durability is also STAND-OUT. Much more solid than a Parker sofa. This lounge is as solid as a rock. The legs screw in via a fat steel bolt and an internal heavy-duty steel thread. This is much harder to do and usually elevates costs as well (so it’s rarely done.) The base boasts a comprehensive configuration of heavy-duty steel springs underneath surrounded by a solid steel frame and steel supports to brace the structure too. You won’t find anything that’s built better. Spring systems are MUCH more costly to produce compared to conventional webbing. Webbing sags, stretches and breaks over time (usually within 10 – 20 years). Everything to do with the construction of this lounge is original (including the original finish- just the covers have been updated). After 65 – 70 years, the original spring system still promotes perfect comfort- just the right amount of give and springiness. You certainly don’t keep sinking down in this one and pray to God you can fight your way out when it comes time to stand up.
Add practicality to the list of advantages with this one- the back has metal supports that slide off effortlessly to create a single bed in seconds. This Van Treight couch has good proportions too- so it’d be easy to place anywhere.
Certainly one of the most stylish day beds I’ve seen after 25+ years in the business- this 1950’s piece takes cues from the likes of Snelling, Featherston, Ercol, Wrightbilt- even the boutique makers such as the Rosando Brothers, Dario Zoureff, Jacob Rudowski and Krimper. It’s also soooo RARE. The word rare here is an under-statement. I’ve always remembered the one I sold back in 2006- it held a place in my heart for some reason (as cringe-worthy as that comment is to make- especially about a piece of dam furniture!) I remember it so fondly though- to work so closely with the renovation- sand back the timber finish, choose the 2 fabrics (which I doubt anyone else would have done) and then having it all work so perfectly; it’s no wonder that after 20 years I still remember it. (Arrghhh – I am constantly asking myself, “why aren’t you buying this??”) Despite being aware of this design for over 20 years- I can’t remember ever seeing another ever again. Why are these so rare? I typed in Van Treight into Google Images expecting to find a few others that people have sold since the advent of the internet 30 years ago. Mine obviously features all over Google images and just stands out like dog’s balls coz it’s so dam stunning! BUT it’s the only one currently there in Google Images. I knew Van Treight furniture was rare but not that rare! Could almost be called a unicorn.
Pricing this is so difficult! How do you price something that ticks all the boxes and is basically irreplaceable! I value it at $3,400 – $3,900 at least (in fully restored condition like the green one I sold). Single cushion re-upholstery = approx $125. Three back cushions re-upholstered- $50 each = $150. Plus cushion fabric- $250. Base Fabric- $125 (I actually bought more than was needed for the 2006 sofa because I wanted the lines to run vertically- yes I am very fussy. I think horizontal stripes would have looked wrong! Reupholstering the base = about 4 hours of your time @ $50 an hour ($200). Total renovation cost= $850. $3,600 – $850 = $2,750. Let’s deduct the cost of sanding off the original finish and refinishing the timber for extra value for my customer (although this is certainly not needed!)= 5 – 6 hours x $40 / hour = $220. Subtract $220 = $2,530. And let’s deduct $330 for the “hassle”-although the right buyer would not see this as a hassle at all. For a start, the buyer can then choose the fabric/s that’s right for their home and personality. That is not a hassle- it’s a privilege! = $2,200. So there’s the price!
It has been a privilege for me to re-visit this incredible piece of vintage furniture by Van Treight of Sydney, Australia from the late-1960’s. Combining its Coachwood frame, woven cane back and oozing of personality, this is as special as they come. But this Van Treight design is SOOOO elusive. Will this be one of my buying regrets??? Certainly one to be passed from this generation to the next, a symbol of how good Australian furniture was back in it’s heyday- before China decimated the Australian marketplace.
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