It has been quite a while since I posted, but now I am on holidays I can do some catch up posts. There seems to be something special about chairs suddenly, and in the last couple of months I have bought a few with no real purpose in mind. The design of chairs is very cool, and every chair has a different personality. Unfortunately a lot of people also share my enjoyment of chairs with unique design, and the really special ones are expensive when they are for sale. Like the Eames chair (right) valued at about $3000 plus. Replicas sell on eBay for about $600.
I am especially loving Tessa chairs. Tessa is a company in Melbourne that sells beautiful chairs worldwide. Designer Fred Lowen founded Tessa with his brother Howard Lindsey. The Tessa T1 chair received an award in 1970 and the T4 hammock design chair was in the Cologne Fair in 1971 and they loved it. Tessa still make leather chairs and lounges that are still popular today.
Recently at Abbey's auctions I watched a chair that looked like a well used Tessa style chair, together with 2 well worn footstools, come up for sale. Even though the sale had a special Mid-Twentieth Century design section, no one really wanted the chair and footstools. I hadn't really looked at the items to buy, but I jumped in. I paid $50 on the hammer (about $60 all up). They are pictured below.
During the auction, Sam and I sneaked a closer look at the chair. We raised up the seat cushion, and what did we find, but a Tessa tag. Of course we did. NICE PICKUP! They are all cute retro pieces. Even though each one would be a great project, I decided to sell the footstools. I have made my $60 back selling them alone. The Tessa chair is a T8, without arms. The seat is worn and coming away from the frame at the top. T8s can sell on eBay in good condition for about $140. I rang Tessa, who will redo their chairs to your specifications. They can do any Tessa cushion design on my Tessa frame for $485. Seeing that the chair has now cost me nothing, I don't know whether to list it as is, and get whatever I can for a worn Tessa T8 on eBay, or, get it recovered and keep it. So, at the moment it is living in my shop room. It's great to sit in while I look at all my shop stuff and think.
The chair obsession may also be contagious. Sam loved this Wellington chair with a swivel base so much we HAD to have it. It came from Mrs Secondhand in Brunswick. Sam jumped into their moving truck to test sit on the chair, before it had even be unloaded into the shop. I wish I had a photo of his legs sticking out from the back of the truck while he was test driving it, it was super funny.
This last chair I want to show I also got from auction, from Steven Graham Auctions. I got some cute children's chairs that day, plus this industrial style office or desk chair. I can only guess how old it is and where it has been used over the years. When I bought it, I had intended to sell the chair, but so far it's stayed on display in the hall way. I love walking past it and appreciating the shape and unique design. And the little Foo Dogs that my Dad gave me to guard the front door love sitting on it.
Shoppers Notes
I get my approximate valuations courtesy of www.carters.com.au
Tessa website- www.tessafurniture.com
Abbey's Auctions- www.abbeysauctions.com.au
Mrs Secondhand- www.mrssecondhand.com.au/
Steve Graham Auctions- http://stevegrahamauctioneer.com
It was sad to see my old stereo system go. I had bought it in 1988 (when I was 15),with one of my first paychecks from working as a junior checkout assistant / dog's body, at Coles supermarket. Still in excellent cosmetic and working condition, someone got a bargain on Ebay for $50.
Since moving house, the system had lived on the floor in the lounge room. It was big and out of place and needed to find a new home and someone to use it and love it. However, this led to the problem that I have quite a few old records (and sometimes add to my collection when the whim takes me)... so, how would I play them now? Obviously I NEEDED a new (old) record player. Nothing big, just a turntable this time. I bought a lovely Garrard turntable with integrated HMV amplifier and matching speakers, on Ebay. I had already sourced a cool stand for it from Mill Markets Newcombe.
Unfortunately, since bringing the player home it hasn't been playing to the end of the records correctly, so it's going back to the seller for a fix. Hopefully, cross fingers that the fix ends happily. But, yesterday I spun a little Michael Jackson and Elvis on it, and it sounded great.
Last week I also picked up this cool orange coloured radio cassette player, in the shape of a helmet (?) at Nobelius Auctions. How retro looking is it??! Nobelius, in Surrey Hills, have been a favourite auction house of mine, but sadly, they are closing down after their next auction. I bought it to resell later, but after using it yesterday, I am not sure I can part with it, at least for a little while!!
Shoppers notes:
Mill Markets is the mother ship for collectors in Victoria, they are in 7 different locations (and I hope to have a stall there one day when I have time) see http://www.millmarkets.com.au/
Nobelius Auctions, one auction left, see http://www.nobeliusauctions.com.au/index.html
This last chair I want to show I also got from auction, from Steven Graham Auctions. I got some cute children's chairs that day, plus this industrial style office or desk chair. I can only guess how old it is and where it has been used over the years. When I bought it, I had intended to sell the chair, but so far it's stayed on display in the hall way. I love walking past it and appreciating the shape and unique design. And the little Foo Dogs that my Dad gave me to guard the front door love sitting on it.
