Description

The 2-seater sofa SOLD for $1,195 which included delivery up to Sydney. The pair of chairs are still available for sale- the price given is PER chair. We’d prefer to sell the remaining swivel chairs as a PAIR.

LOCATION- being sold under consignment by a private seller in Altona, MELBOURNE. But this suite can be transported Australia-wide- approx $220 to get the pair of chairs to SYDNEY. I travelled to Melbourne and personally worked with this suite.

Provenance and Background Info

(Written in 2023)

A VERY-COOL Doube lounge chair. (PRICE IS FOR ONE CHAIR ONLY.) Both the single-seater chairs actually swivel which takes the comfort and cool-factor to a whole new level. I’d have this in my own home in a second- if I had somewhere to put it. I can just picture it in front of a fireplace. Fireplace settings tend to be traditional and conservative- nestle this in front of your fireplace and you could take your space to whole new creative level- it’s so cool!

This suite was produced in the late 1950’s in Moorabbin, Melbourne by Isobel and Gerard Doube. The full suite was recently re-upholstered- the sofa still retains the original Doube makers label. There’s virtually no information online about Doube except that they won various design awards back in the 1950’s. I saw a couple pairs of these chairs in Google Images but when I clicked on the image it went nowhere and there’s also a couple of Doube pieces in Images in different designs that are definitely 1950’s. This suite is rare- after 21 years in this business it’s the second Doube suite we’ve had (and I only got the opportunity to stock both these suites because I offer a consignment sale process). I’ve perhaps seen this design 4 times over 21 years (and only twice ever in the flesh)- that’s about as rare as you can get! Much rarer than Featherston and Snelling designs. And I think it’s as cool as anything done by Featherston.

The design pays homage to Pierre Paulin designs … I’ve just done a Google Search of Paulin’s designs- this design is similar to the Mushroom Chair but that was released in 1963. Gerard and Isobel Doube did their most notable designs in the late 1950’s- perhaps they released this design in the mid-1960’s ? It’s got me stumped. If this design was released before Paulin’s mushroom chair it makes it all the more special as it’d be a landmark piece of design.

All I’m certain of is that this lounge suite is vintage- at the very latest, late-1960’s and extremely rare. I think it’s at least as good as the Mushroom Chair- the weird angular base is striking and provides a captivating contrast to the curvaceous seat section plus the chairs SWIVEL! It has a very Sputnik feel to it- like some sort of space-craft landing on the moon, reminiscent of the late-1950’s for obvious reasons. This is another piece of design I’m very happy to say is Australian. Even if it came out after the Mushroom Chair, Doube has tried his own thing and not done an obvious copy.

NOTE- before I finish this off, the comfort overall is really nice. I like the comfort but it’s more a sitting-room type suite- for sitting, the comfort is very pleasing but the chairs are quite small compared to what’s being sold today. You could comfortably sit in this for hours though- it’s nice and soft and holds you in an excellent seating position. The height of the back is excellent for comfort. Plus the single-seater chairs actually SWIVEL, which further enhances the comfort.

This vintage lounge suite is in excellent condition- it was recently re-upholstered and the fabric presents very well- the last suite like this we had was in original condition- the fabric was marked and discoloured- this suite presents extremely well and looks great.

This Gerard and Isobel Doube suite has vintage investment appeal that a new suite will never have. Mushroom chairs are still being made today and command a price of AU $3840 (US $2642) EACH. This authentic VINTAGE suite is MUCH harder to get than a Mushroom chair (try finding another of these) and is just as cool. I can’t see any reason why it won’t retain its value (at least) while you get to use it (but more likely it will increase in value in the future). After most modern furniture has ended up as landfill this 60-odd year-old suite will passed onto a new generation. There’s no better way to invest in your home and reduce your carbon footprint.

2306 , 2304 and 1909