Tessa Furniture

In 1966, Fred Lowen sold his ownership stake in Fler, the furniture company he co-founded in 1946 with close friend Ernest Rodeck. By 1960 Fler was fabricating in nine factories across Australia and had become the first national furniture company to be floated on the stock exchange. After selling his stake in Fler, Lowen stayed on as the design director, but in 1967 he felt it was time to leave.

Only a year later in 1968 Lowen decided to launch another company with his brother-in-law Howard Lindsey and design technician Sigi Danielzik. The company was initially called 'Twen' and the idea was to sell affordable, well designed furniture to the aspiring twenty-something target market. The company was soon renamed to Tessa after the daughter of one of Lowen's friends.

Tessa grew rapidly in local and international markets and quickly established a reputation for its Scandinavian influenced design and quality Australian craftsmanship. Impeccable attention to detail displayed through the sculptural frame and joinery defined Tessa furniture. Lowen also received a number of design awards for Tessa furniture.

The company won the Dunhill Design Award in 1970, then at Cologne Fair in 1971 the T4 Hammock was a crowd favourite.