Description
SOLD! For more than the OFFERS OVER price. Price undisclosed as it sold to an interior designer.
LOCATION- BRISBANE (Eagle Junction). Can be transported Australia-wide for an additional price (about $230 to get all 4 chairs to Sydney).
The listed price is an OFFERS OVER price for the 4 chairs only. The matching table is an additional $x. We are reluctant to break up this matching suite but could be swayed. We would definitely prefer selling the table and chairs together (particularly at this early stage of the listing- this listing has already attracted several enquiries for either part- all from dealers who will be renovating the chairs and on-selling).
These chairs have an intriguing look- after 25 years in this business I’ve never seen a design anything like it. The look is distinctive, but not over-the-top. It has an opulent vibe, but the design is also rustic and rural. Intriguing is the best word to sum it up. I love the designer slant, mixed with the distinct “Australiana” look. It kinda looks like bush furniture but with a level of sophistication and designer appeal you won’t see again. This full suite together has an amazing look. The table though would marry with so many chairs. It’s so cool. Simple, yes … but then not! These curves, particularly in the legs, are not easy to create. The table is chunky but all the smooth curves and light tone pare back the boldness. There’s a distinct designer vibe here (again). The tone of the timber is perfect for the design. These tables are sometimes seen with a dark stain- too bold in my opinion. The tone here is perfect and the workmanship in the top is nothing short of inspiring. I’d own a suite like this in a second- if I needed to fill 8 houses with furniture (… I don’t!).
The Rufenacht dining chairs (the 4 chairs in camel leather) and the leather dining booth section are shown for display purposes only. The curved dining booth is listed separately in our NEWLY LISTED Category- we have 13 sectional pieces on offer- it’s huge. The Rufenacht dining chairs are mine- I don’t want to sell them. I have others in storage but I’m not ready to sell those at the moment either. If you have Rufenacht dining chairs you’d like to SELL, get in contact with us!
Listings like this are the reason I continue doing this after 25 years. The story of this furniture needs to be told and celebrated. You will very rarely see furniture that’s designed and constructed better. This suite is a throw-back to times gone by when furniture makers (Australian people) stood behind their work with pride. I doubt we’ll see anything like anything this ever again.
Pricing this suite has proven almost impossible. I’ve seen these chairs priced at $1,000 each (and I truly don’t believe that $1,000 each is exorbitant either- there’s so much work involved!) I need to free up space but this is not a quick-flick type thing. One of the chairs is in brilliant vintage condition. One is in very good vintage condition. Another is fair to good and the last is in fair condition. But in saying that, the issues are all cosmetic. I spent hours cleaning these up (so I became quite intimate with them- <insert cringe emoji here>). If the leather is conditioned from here on in, these chairs should last forever. Some chairs look worn- yes- but structurally I have no concerns. Read the CONDITION & DIMENSIONS tab for more details. Unfortunately the leather has not been conditioned for some of its life. This has meant the leather has dried out at some stage. Further wear will be halted through using leather condition every 2 – 3 months.
I occasionally see these dining chairs around. The chairs in fair condition could be subbed-out when you find others. If you continue to condition the leather, these chairs will last as long as you need them. And they don’t look terrible. There’s a weird type of beauty in the way the leather has aged. It’s basically impossible for this leather to rip. The top section is double-thickness stitched together for strength. The double-thickness creates something that’s very hard to rip. The seat leather folds over thick curves. Weight is distributed across the entire curve and not concentrated in any one spot. This equal dispersion of stress in the seat section means that it’s virtually impossible to rip. That’s why after 50 years of use these chairs are still doing exactly what they should be doing.
This listing is going to be a hard one to work with for me AFTER this suite sells. The story needs to remain but greedy web-hosting means I must delete virtually all these photos. I will need to get the photos down to 2 or 3 photos (or delete another iNVISeDGE listing). There’s at least 10 photos here I want to leave after this suite sells. That’s a definite sign that what I have here is special and probably won’t be seen again for a long time (if ever). People in the future will hold onto these full suites very tightly (because once they’re sold, they know they’ll never get them again) and they’re great suites!
Provenance and Background Info about Robert Dunlop Furniture
(This section was updated in 2023).
This suite was created by Robert Dunlop in Brisbane in the late-1970’s (we have 5 pieces available in this suite that may be sold separately). This suite is part of his highly-celebrated Studio Line- some of these pieces still retain the original foil labels. The suite was produced in Dunlop’s workshop in Stafford, Brisbane- designed in collaboration with Danish-designer Tom Larsen in the mid-1970’s.
The design and craftsmanship is exceptional, making it obvious why Dunlop’s furniture was so celebrated at the time. In the 1970’s Dunlop’s reputation was quickly cemented and as a result, he was commissioned to design furniture for Parliament House and the High Court of Australia in Canberra. By the early 1980’s, Dunlop’s work was sold in 19 countries. It’s almost impossible to believe that furniture made in Brisbane could become so celebrated but when you look at the design and craftsmanship it becomes plainly obvious. Robert Dunlop seamlessly melded Australian bush furniture with modernist design aesthetics coming out of Europe. His use of exotic timbers such as Radiata Pine along with anodised aluminium tubing was a sensation at the time and compared to today’s offerings still stands out from the pack. The intriguing mix of timber and metal in furniture is something I’ve always loved. This suite is modernist and sleek, with an earthy slant … it also has a “realness” to it that eludes a lot of designer furniture these days.
Dunlop and Larsen has hit the nail on the head with this design and it’s not just me who thinks so. The Design Institute of Australia inducted Dunlop into the DIA Design Hall of Fame in October 2015. I don’t understand why they waited until Dunlop died before bestowing this accolade- Dunlop’s work is exceptional and has been celebrated through several eras- it should have been awarded long ago. Well-known furniture dealer in Fitzroy, Angelucci 20th Century Design, has big tabs on Dunlop’s design and has done so for at least 10 years- I’ve seen him re-upholster the lounge suites in Cognac leather and the result is STUNNING!
The other thing going for this design is the comfort- the curve in the back leather cradles you nicely.
These days Robert Dunlop’s work is virtually impossible to find (much harder than Featherston’s) and more popular than ever. Various Melbourne dealers (including several in interviews) have stated that the value of Dunlop’s work will be well worth watching in future years. I agree and couldn’t pass this up- it will give this iNVISeDGE buyer a very strong investment. You’ll be hard-pressed to ever find another suite like it.
Investment appeal aside, this suite ticks every other box. The look is timeless and stunning. Additionally, the durability box is ticked. Thick Radiata Pine, TOP-QUALITY saddle leather, aluminium supports, steel buckles ensure durability as does the superior construction qualities. The quality is plainly obvious- look at this suite after about 50 years of use!
Another interesting bit of information I gleaned from a Robert Dunlop furniture owner I talked to was how long it took for them to get their suite after ordering it. After several visits to Robert Dunlop’s workshop to check on the progress they asked Dunlop when it would be ready and he replied, “it will be ready when we’ve finished building it and it’s delivered.” I love it! I’ll have to remember to use that one. The moral of the story is- good things can’t be rushed- they take time to come to life. If you want anything special there will usually be a wait.
Robert died in 2014 leaving us with a legacy of stunning designs and exceptional craftsmanship. Let’s hope his entry into the DIA Design Hall of Fame encourages a new generation of designers and furniture makers in Australia. Recycling and valuing items where pride in both craftsmanship and design is the norm is our only way out of this mess. There’s no better way to invest in your home and reduce landfill.
(ACKNOWLEDGEMENT- Facts in this description have been found in a “Design Online” blog posted by Anita Lewis. Thank you Anita for your well-written and informative article.)
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