Description
I’ve debated for some time whether I’d create this listing but in the end, these suites are so rare and so good I had to do it. The merit of this suite is not what I’m questioning (this suite exceeds the iNVISeDGE criteria in EVERY way). The vendors have flip-flopped as to if and when they might sell the set- consigning this furniture to iNVISeDGE has not been cemented in writing at this point. (Normally, I won’t work this way but this is not a normal suite so I finally decided to make an exception.) The vendors are open to selling the suite in July 2025 (the set could later be consigned to iNVISeDGE definitively but this is not certain). If a prospective buyer advances decisively and confidently, there’s an excellent chance the vendors will part with this suite at the moment. (I will be overseas 18/06 to 30/06- it would be best to email me an enquiry during this time- invisedge@hotmail.com). Emails will be attended to IN ORDER when I return home on the 1st of July. Please include your phone number in your email.
The vendors are selling their home which has been featured in magazines including photos of the dining suite on offer.
What’s on offer- 6 Rufenacht dining chairs in BRILLIANT vintage condition. The frames are the lightest tone Rufenacht did (light blonde timber), the leather is off-white (warm white). No condition issues at all that warrant a mention. The photos shown in this listing are of a suite I sold in the past- what’s shown in the photos here is very close to the colours of the suite that’s on offer. The chairs come with the matching dining table. It’s the non-extension table Rufenacht did- smallish rectangle. It’s not a big table- it comfortably accommodates the 6 chairs but doesn’t have much extra space- I’d say it’d be about 1.7m long by about 0.9m. It’s like the table shown in the print ad from the 1970’s at the bottom of the page (included in this listing) but NOT this colour though. The table is very light blonde- it’s a stunning table and in immaculate condition- it has a stretcher base. The quality is also exceptional. I understand there are buyers who may only want the chairs but if you’re keen, I’d recommend putting in an offer for the matching table as well. The vendors are selling their home and moving interstate- anything that complicates things will probably not be accepted. There’s also a matching Rufenacht sideboard available. I’ve never seen this sideboard design before. It’s very minimalist- no handles, the complete opposite of ornate- tidy, sleek, “clean”. Again, very light blonde timber. It’s the QUALITY that becomes the focus of the piece. The design settles into the background. It’s also in brilliant condition. If someone makes an offer for all of it, including the sideboard, that would give them the best chance of getting the suite. I’d say the vendors would be open to just selling the dining suite (as this is the most collectable component of what’s on offer) but an offer for all of it would likely be accepted.
This is the most desirable colour Rufenacht did these suites in- neutral but fresh. It has a modern look but is very timeless- after all, this furniture is over 40 years old. I do have photos of the suite that I can SMS to a prospective buyer in early July. Again, the condition of the suite on offer is exceptional.
Provenance and Background Info
Written years ago but updated in 2025
After being in this business for 24 years I believe that Joe Rufenacht furniture is the BEST furniture I’ve ever come across. I personally own 12 Rufenacht dining chairs- 6 are in my apartment and I have another 6 in storage in case I ever want to extend my suite. I’ve owned and used Rufenacht dining chairs for over 5 years now and love this furniture more now than I ever have. So much so, that someone recently asked me if I’d sell my own Rufenacht dining chairs and they offered me an astronomical sum of money for them but I just couldn’t imagine letting them go. When you have the best (and in the colours and tones you love)- why would you? The extra money means nothing if you then have to bring something else into your home that you don’t like half as much. And it’s not just the stunning look and designer style that makes me love them more and more every day; EVERY box gets a resounding tick.
The quality and workmanship is exceptional. The investment appeal is also exceptional. But it’s the comfort that comes up trumps! These are AMAZINGLY comfortable to sit in- you can have leisurely dinner parties in these chairs and relax in them for HOURS! (And I’m talking from first-hand experience here.) I even have a Rufenacht dining chair as my desk chair- after sitting in this chair for 10 hours a day (on many days and yes I’m sitting in it right now as I type this!), I can honestly and confidently say I don’t think I will ever part with my Rufenacht chairs … for as long as I live.
The vintage leather is also pure luxury- the AUSTRALIAN-MADE cushioning is just perfection. This VINTAGE Howe leather is some of the best QUALITY leather ever made- the leather on this set is still in brilliant condition overall after being used for about 40 years! There is a vintage Howe Leather pamphlet on the iNVISeDGE website. Type, “Howe Leather Brochure” into the SEARCH box on our website to find it. This information booklet outlines the reasons why FULL-GRAIN leather is far superior to every other leather on the market and “Howe” to look after full-grain leather so it will last another 40 years!
There was a time in the late-1970’s when Rufenacht had won more furniture design awards than anybody else in this country. Rufenacht was a stickler for quality- he was fastidious about furniture. He created a chair from scratch- tested it, had other people test it, mulled over it for some time, made adjustments, went back and made another chair from scratch, tested it again … and so on. He did this 40 times for his swivel lounge chair! It is no wonder he kept winning design awards.
Quality gets a big tick, comfort is well and truly ticked (they will probably be the most comfortable dining chairs you’ll ever own), they look amazing too- this leaves us with investment appeal. I get Rufenacht furniture very rarely these days (particularly the dining suites)- Rufenacht furniture has now been “discovered”- as a result, it’s tightly held onto. Very little reaches the secondary market these days and when it does, people quickly see that Rufenacht chairs easily come up trumps when you compare them to any other mid-century dining option you can get. They EXCEED the standard of Parker chairs in every way and are much harder to get compared to Parker chairs. The best Parker dining chairs are now selling for $750 each in many shops. The quality leather alone (and the softness) separates these from virtually everything else out there.
These chairs should inspire us all and show us the way forward. Most modern furniture is made with little respect for the earth’s resources and even less for the workers who make them. If these chairs were made today in Australia, iNVISeDGE would still endorse them but the fact they are vintage (and no longer in production) makes them even more special. When you INVEST in items such as Rufenacht furniture, there’s no better way to reduce landfill and your carbon footprint. If these chairs are used with some sense, there’s no reason why they won’t last another 40 years or more … becoming more valued each time they are passed to a new set of hands and then an entirely new generation.
2407, 2402 and 2001
