Our Tessa T8’s repolished and upholstered in Vera Pelle leather from Decor Design Centre
RESTORING OUR TESSA T8’S
Being very passionate about good design, I can’t bear to see it thrown away. I was very excited to find some original 60’s furniture in the back of an online seller’s shed - we bought the shells for a song and our restoration journey began.
Original Poster for the Tessa T8 suite
Tessa Furniture was started in 1968 by German immigrant Fred Lowen and his friend Howard Lindsey, when Australians saved for ages to buy their furniture because it lasted. They took it from house to house when they moved and handed it down to their children. The soft leather cushions supported by canvas slings enveloped the sitter without dwarfing the rooms of the sixties and seventies much smaller homes.
Sadly, Tessa Furniture closed their doors in June 2019, a victim of peoples’ desire for an instant look and cheap deals. But events have come full circle and now many of us are searching out locally made, well crafted pieces again to grace our homes.
Once all the individual pieces came back from the polisher, we had to watch a video to work out how to put them back together!
A lot of work was involved in restoring our chairs, and the costs were also significant because we were using quality trades and materials.
However we progessed slowly on this journey, getting each step done as we could afford it. It was actually a much better option than finance or Credit Card purchase of new furniture. The trades we used were also so supportive of us reviving some pieces of true Australian design.
Vera Pelle leather colour Dune
Canvas slings come in a few different shades and include the original fixings
The canvas slings and brass fittings are still being made by a former employer of Tessa and I was able to order them over the internet. It was great to have contact with a person who had a part in the original company.
I didn’t want to replicate the dark blacks and browns of the original styles but opted for a sublime Vera Pelle leather in Dune. I was pretty excited when I took delivery of the hides! The secret when restoring furniture is not to be slavishly faithful to the first design but to use quality trades and materials to make the piece your own. That way, you ensure it remains loved for years to come.
Our Tessa T8’s sit within our open space extension beautifully
