12 Things You Didn’t Know About the Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman has been in continuous production Since 1956. Celebrating Ray Eames on Her Birthday December 15, 2016, Ray Eames would have turned 104 years old. In celebration of her birthday,...In a world of fashion and design, the brand is king but priorities shift in times of financial trouble. Why buy the real thing when cheap copies are readily available? Sunglasses, cosmetics, watches, DVDs... "Barcelona", "Tulip", "Panton" chairs. You name it, the fakes flourish. Earlier this month, the much-anticipated Modern Design Auction in Chicago fared poorly as a direct result of the global market. The same day the American stock market was down 5 per cent, 157 of the 417 lots, including tables and chairs by Norman Cherner and Florence Knoll, did not meet their reserve. "Authentic" designs don’t depreciate over time but few can afford them. The recession means buyers pursue reproductions and counterfeit goods instead of supporting the design industry.
Don’t confuse quality repros with the dirt cheap, predominantly illegal knock-offs on eBay and market stalls. In spite of the Asian sweat shops, Italian mafia and Serbian gangsters powering the market, there’s still a certain cachet in counterfeit chic. Last weekend, I was tempted by phony Chanel handbags in Portobello market in Notting Hill; the top fake brands were on display but crucially, without labels, making it difficult for prosecutors to act. On request, stallholders produce versions with labels. Like when a friend copies my outfit, being imitated is a little bit flattering but mostly irritating. “I used to like mirrored furniture before it was everywhere.” Lulu Guinness told me, “Once it became too easy to get, the charm goes. It’s a constant quest to be different.” It amused me how Ex-EastEnders actress Daniella Westbrook singlehandedly annihilated Burberry with her chav-tastic head-to-toe check outfit. Brands are appalled when their label is associated outside their target market but knock-off products help the democratisation of design.
Shouldn’t we all have access to classic designs? Is anything ever original anyhow? The leather and plywood Eames lounge chair is frequently reproduced, often to a spookily high standard. Created first in 1956 by American husband and wife team Charles and Ray Eames, it sells "officially" at Heal’s for £3,495. A duplicate ‘Eames-style’ lounge chair is at Go Modern for £640. If there’s no visible Herman Miller label on the underside of your Eames, you’ve been tricked with a fake. The genuine article has five legs (many copies have four), curved armrests (not flat), doesn’t recline (most fakes do) and the aluminium back braces must be die cast (not square tubular aluminium). "An authorised version is made by trained, dedicated craftsmen and will last a lifetime. Cheap copies don’t," says Daniel Aram of Aram Store. for the popular "Barcelona" chair, I found Ludwig Mies van de Rohe’s mid-century design masterpiece at prices ranging from £499 to £1,820. Knoll is the only licensed manufacturer of Barcelona chairs but stiff competition comes from Alphaville, Steelform, Form by Form and Euro Style.
Knoll spends 28 hours to hand-stitch the cushions of one "Barcelona" chair - but so does their rival Alphaphille. But how original is Knoll’s "Barcelona" chair? Modern Classics, who hand-make reproductions of Bauhaus and Modernist classics argue that, "Knoll speaks about how they own the rights to the ‘Barcelona chair’ or Cassina about the Le Corbusier couches. What should be made clear is they own the rights to using the name ‘Barcelona’ or have an agreement with a historical foundation to market under a particular name, but they are not making an original product design at all, just their version of it." Created for the king and queen of Spain for the 1929 Barcelona Exposition, the "Barcelona" chair is a modern version of the scissor-like collapsible stools used by Roman and Egyptian rulers. Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe re-interpreted the form in steel and leather. So-called originals are often modified versions. Photos show that the earliest cushions on Florence Knoll’s Barcelona chair were diamond-patterned, not the squares we recognise today.
Likewise, Danish architect Verner Panton’s eponymous chair without back legs was originally made in fibreglass in 1967. It now exists in (cheaper) polypropylene. The only true originals are from the first production run. Confined to museums and private collections, these rarely come up for sale. Last weekend, the streets were alive with groups of children dressed in menacing outfits screaming "Trick or treat?". Like their soapy sweets, cheap copies give a cheap, ghoulish thrill which wanes fast. Who wants the same sofa as their friends? Barbara Hulanicki told me, "I am sick and tired of walking into a room and knowing where everything comes from." If you can’t afford the original, hunt for cheaper, equally well-designed furniture. You never know, it could be tomorrow’s design classic. Now, that really would be a bona fide treat.Think of great designers; think of Le Corbusier – even his name is stylish! But what about his furniture? We cannot be responsible for the content of external web sites.
All images and text on this Charles Eames page are copyright 1999-2015 by John Malyon/Specifica, Inc., unless otherwise noted. Note that the listings on this site are a unique compilation of information and are protected by copyright worldwide. Own a True Icon of Modern Design Luxurious Comfort and Support The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman have their origin in Charles and Ray’s investigations into moulding plywood and a desire to improve upon a familiar fixture in many living rooms: the lounge chair. Citing the English club chair as inspiration, Charles said he sought to design a modern version of that chair, one that had “the warm receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt”. Almost immediately, the design became an icon of American design. Today, these pieces not only live in museums, but continue to offer comfort and style to interiors everywhere. A universally recognised form, the set is available in a variety of veneers, multiple leather options and two sizes.
Whatever selection you make, you can be assured of the quality and authenticity of this design. Own a True Icon of Modern DesignWhen the set was introduced in 1956, there was nothing like it – and there is still nothing to equal it today. The Eameses’ modern take on a 19th century club chair has not only endured for more than 50 years, it has become one of the most significant furniture designs of the 20th century – instantly recognisable and enduringly fresh. Like all classics, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman get better with age, in part because of how they are made. From the innovative hardware that fastens the cushions to the shells without marring the appearance of the wood to the fact that each piece continues to be assembled by hand, the combination of craft and manufacturing consistency results in pieces that are genuinely authentic. Expansive OptionsThe Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman has become so recognisable that its configuration is a registered trademark.
That form and the materials used to create it are an integral part of the experience the set delivers. Today, these pieces are available in a variety of veneers, multiple leather options and two sizes. The same high level of quality and workmanship is guaranteed, regardless of the selection you make. Choose contract-grade or our MCL Leather, which offers a striking blend of softness, durability and colour-fastness. MCL Leather is a premium, semi-aniline, dyed leather with 100 per cent natural full grain. Colour variations and surface marks are an inherent characteristic of this material, which will acquire wrinkles and creases and develop a rich patina over time. An oiled finish is available for walnut and santos palisander veneers. It closely matches the look and feel of the finish used on the original rosewood chair, and will need to be maintained with periodic hand oiling. You can also choose the standard, high-performance lacquered plywood shell in all four wood veneers. The lacquered finish requires nothing more than dusting.
To provide additional choices for complementing a range of interiors, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman are offered in all-black and all-white versions. The all-black version features an ebony veneer shell and black MCL Leather. For the all-white version, a white ash shell complements pearl MCL Leather. The metal components on the white ash chair are finished in white to highlight the polished aluminium accents on the base. Luxurious Comfort and SupportThe comfort and support built into the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman help explain their enduring popularity. These qualities are created through a dynamic blend of hand-craftsmanship and mass production techniques. The cushions will not flatten or clump over time. As Charles Eames described them, “The leather cushions do have built-in wrinkles to start with, but that is a clue that spells comfort to come, like the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.” Each hide used for the cushions has its own natural characteristics, and each will age to reveal its own unique personality.