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Makers Labels
Hi.
Here is a chair. I purchased this chair a few years ago.
It was originally in a set of 5 with the matching table. Although at the time I was tight for space so just settled on this one. Regret? Kind of now yes, but why did I purchase just this one chair?
The secret lies underneath.
As soon as I flipped the chair and saw the original cardboard makers tag still stapled underneath I knew I had to have it. Yes it was a shame to split it from the set (only 5 chairs originally so I didn’t feel too bad…..) but you can be sure I’ll come across these chairs and table in the future, an original tag though? Maybe a little more difficult. The 50 year old dust came at no extra cost also. Bargain!
Mystery Fler ‘Tub’ Style Lounge Suite Update
Towards the end of last year, I posted about a mystery fler tub style lounge I had in storage. You can read that post here.
Often when searching for information on unknown (ish) pieces you come across it when you least expect it. This is what happened a few weeks ago when browsing through a small op shop in the southern highlands.
To my surprise I stumbled across the exact same chair from the 3 piece suite I have, in an original covering.
What’s even better is the original label was still attached, and perfectly legible, and although I didn’t have room to take it home, I made sure I got a picture of the label, which may shed some light on the design/name of the lounge chair/suite.
Now as you can see, we have ‘Airborne Europe Licence’ printed across the bottom of the maker’s label. This tells me that this particular style/design wasn’t an original Fler idea, more so they purchased the licence from an overseas company (based in Europe) to produce/sell this style of lounge chair/suite in Australia.
Now to search for more information on ‘Airborne’. A quick google search for ‘Mid Century Airborne Furniture’ brought up a few results, and not surprisingly a lot of very similar styled/design lounge suites and chairs, encompassing big bold curves with plenty of fibreglass.
Airborne appears to be a French furniture company that started during the 1950’s, however the fibreglass element looks to of been introduced during the late 1960’s – early 1970’s. A look on 1stdibs is worthwhile for interests sake, see here.
Unfortunately thus far I haven’t been able to identify the exact style of suite (still!) or possibly a designer, however as I mentioned above, when I’m least expecting it, I’m sure the next piece of the puzzle will present itself!
Auction Watch # 19 – 1950’s Classic Sideboard
Came across a familiar looking sideboard on eBay tonight – albeit in a slightly different configuration to one’s I’ve posted on before.
With just over 2 days left and a starting price (with no bids) of $80 it seems to be flying under the radar. Shame it’s interstate (Victoria) or I would be posting about this listing after the fact….. 😉
To find, search eBay for – 1950’s Australian Classic Sideboard. Goodluck.
New Addition
Well hello again! It’s definitely been too long before drinks, er I mean blog posts…..so to ease back into it I thought I’d share a few photos of a new addition to our household, and no it’s not a pet, or a baby.
Feast your eyes on this curvaceous coffee table I purchased off eBay a few weeks ago.
As soon as I saw it I knew it had to be mine. The shape, the lines, the ‘floating’ glass top, the materials, all so appealing, and for what I thought was a great (read cheap) price.
The quality looks really good too. Beautiful Queensland maple? veneer and a really fine veneer edging, the hardware that helps secure the glass top is something that I haven’t seen before either.
With no visible markings to help identify a manufacturer it’s a little hard to accurately date, however judging from the design and materials I’m leaning towards the 1950’s. It’s definitely a keeper!
Auction Watch # 18 – Mid Century Dining Chairs x 3
Fair range of goodies on eBay this week, however I picked these 3 Mid Century dining chairs to share.
Described as a ‘Set of three Mid Century Dining Chairs to restore with a cool solid timber back handle’ I really love their shape. The lines of those angled A-frame timber legs and the white vinyl 1 piece seat/back support are just so clean. They actually remind me a little of the ‘volkschair’ I posted about on the blog previously – see here.
It’s a little hard to tell if the handle on the rear top of the back support is original, I’m leaning towards no, as the timbers appear to be different, along with the clash of styles although it does contrast nicely against the white vinyl upholstery and tie in with the dark stained timber base.
Price? Buy it now for $67! Cheap as chips for such a great looking set of chairs. Yes they do need a little bit of work, and it’s a shame they’re missing the extra one to make a set of 4 however I think they’d be a great buy!
To find, search eBay for – Mid Century x 3 dining chairs retro vintage Danish Eames Style Atomic To Restore
Kafka Furniture – Fresh Pictures!
Following up from my last post, the original owner of the Kafka furniture sent through some more images which I was really grateful for.
All pieces are/were built-in which you can see below. The standout for me is the other half of the wall unit!
What a huge piece of cabinetry! It must be 7 meters + in width. Love the symmetry, and the inlay which on the left side features martini glasses and cocktail shakers! I’m sure it would of been the centre of attention on more than one occasion.
Free To Good Home – Paul Kafka Furniture!
Another online find during the break was an advertisement that read “1950 Kafka wooden cabinets, bedside tables, desk”.
Located in Dover Heights, Sydney, there was so much furniture that an entire truck would be needed! Amazing hey? Unfortunately I was a little slow off the mark, and by the time I had contacted the owner most pieces were spoken for. I did however make sure to save the 2 images for reference, along with ask for a few pictures of the other items (bedsides/desk) which I’m hoping to receive soon.
I find the wall unit’s inlay depicting a musical score pretty interesting. It’d be great to know more about the original owners background. Musician perhaps?
To find out about Paul Kafka, there’s a great excerpt at Design & Art Australia Online. It’s well worth a read, and you can find it here – http://www.daao.org.au/bio/paul-ernst-kafka/biography/ Particular interesting is how relevant the above piece/s of furniture are to the article!
Here’s to hoping it found a good home!
Liquorice Allsorts?
For my first post of 2015 I thought I’d share a great picture of some liquorice allsorts.
Why? Well, because they supposedly have some relevance to a great! dining suite I came across on Gumtree during the break.
Described as a ‘one owner Parker Chiswell dining table and 6 chairs of different colours in original vinyl covering’ the dining suite was originally brought by the sellers parents 1969.
I find the colours on the chairs to be amazing and really unique, especially being the original vinyl!
I think you’ll find that the manufacturer is Chiswell, and that ‘Parker’ has been thrown in there for a little ‘clever’ marketing. Regardless, this is a really cool piece of functional furniture, and something that I definitely hope to see more of in the future!
To find, search Gumtree for – Parker Chiswell dining table and 6 chairs, Teak, 1969
Happy Holidays!
Been a little quiet over the past 2 weeks due to the fact my 9 – 5 has required a few extra hours! However I’d like to take the opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy new year!
I’m very happy with the way things have progressed throughout 2014, and although I’d love to have more time, we are slowly building towards something pretty significant, more of which you will see in 2015/16!
We will be taking a break from the online side of things for a few weeks, however will still be contactable via email & mobile (just may be a little slow in replying).
Take care, stay safe, and look forward to seeing you all in the new year.
Best regards, John.