greetings all- I'm sure this one has been tossed around on here before but any ideas about pricing on used Eames lounge chairs these days? I know that original ones are always expensive - especially the rosewood versions- but I'm wondering what fair price is for one these days? I don't feel like ebay is great indicator as everything seems to just get inflated on there with auction frenzy or something... But ebay or craigslist seems about only avenue to find one unless you're incredibly lucky at a garage sale or something. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I like this post as I recently developed a chair fetish...
I'd also be very interested if anyone has info on used eames or other great classic chairs..
I've been thinking about trying to sell my soul to purchase an original "Scandia" chair by Hans Brattrud...
As a newbie in the world of chairs, I'm learning that obviously, people can be very particular about the manufacturer/craftsperson for certain chair designs (perhaps even the lot or batch number...) and "original chairs" or chairs produced by certain high-skilled manufacturers/craftspersons are going to be different than other modern day chairs or potential knock-offs.
That said, you probably know this but Herman Miller currently manufactures the eames chair in a variety of veneers and new it will range from $400-$600.
Here is the link to a boutique furniture store in Portland,OR that sells the eames new for $600: link
I have seen used "modern manufactuered" eames running around on the web priced way over the current new price....
but I'm thinking drum, you know all this, and you are probably looking for a beautiful original ; )
I am so busted... I've also been surfing the web about purchasing an eames veneer and just read your post too quickly to see that you were refering to the eames lounge.
I am so busted... I've also been surfing the web about purchasing an eames veneer and just read your post too quickly to see that you were refering to the eames lounge.
$3000 is about the right price for an Eames Lounge and ottoman. Assuming they're kept in good condition, they won't depreciate. If you see one for significantly less than that, chances are it's a knock-off. Herman Miller is the only company that's licensed to produce the authentic Eames design.
I love chairs also. I have always wanted to have a chair room when I build my house.
It seems like there are a lot of knock offs and repros of eames stuff and of meis stuff. Personaly I would be willing to wait and pay a little more to know you have something authentic. Could be tough on ebay.
The Herman Miller site has them list for about $4k brand new so you can probably get one for a lot less with a designer's discount.
Does anyone know what the original price for an Eames lounge was when they came out? It'd be interesting to see if, adjusted for inflation, the price has gone up or down.
I think about 3k would be fair, but I doubt you'll get the Ottoman included. Be certain to check if its leather or a "suitable" alternative. Within the first couple of years manufacturing the lounge, the experimented with a few options some of which have managed to survive nicely through the years.
Chingale those scandias are beautiful. I had my run in with Harry Bertoia wire chair that I found in a mechanics garage - I've been negotiating with him for about 6 months. I do want a eames bentwood something about them...
i can tell ya that you get about half off if you go through herman miller...
it still cost me about 2.5k for both the chair and ottoman..but really..why
would you want it for cheaper (other than the obvious) if it's an original it's worth it...well made, very comfortable chair.
of course it'd be better to find one on the street..but at this point i'm pretty sure that's not happening.
the days of being able to pick up an eames lounge at a garage sale are long gone. kinda sad in my opinion - the ebayification of the world. the upside is that it challenges the modern chair collector to go in different directions and judge a chair based on its quality rather that its trademark. i find myself far less impressed by a home filled with the classics as a home filled with lovingly collected well-made, obscure originals. i think it's the record collector (snob) in me.
Seven- I saw one post in a forum online where someone found Eames chair like this at garage sale. They said original price of the chairs was $578 in 1956. Can't verify any of that or anything but that was one tale I read online...)
a little more info from Orlando Sentinel article on the MoMA exhibit:
"In the first year, Herman Miller sold only 484 of the chairs, which cost $404, plus $174 for the ottoman. But sales steadily rose after that to a peak of 4,255 in 1978.
The chair's popularity fell in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, but with the revival of all things Midcentury -- and perhaps with aging Baby Boomers showing interest in a comfy but stylish chair -- sales have picked up. Last year, the company sold 4,010 chairs.
Even so, the lounge chair's status as a luxury item is clear. In 50 years, total sales have amounted to only 106,000 chairs."
For other chair folks, I know it has probably been plugged on archinect before, but I just completed the DIS Scandinavian Furniture Design Summer Program in Copenhagen link and can't recommend it enough...I feel very lucky and grateful for the experience early on in my education.
I don't think it is as fabulous for students who already have considerable furniture design experience and/or schools with excellent shop facilities/instruction. But for myself, the opportunity to learn plywood veneer molding techniques under some top-notch instruction while being immersed in scandinavian design and architecture was just the ticket....
the great feeling is that now when I see a certain chair in a store window or in a gallery that I spent time sketching, measuring, and analyzing how it was made, etc...it kinda feels like you're seeing an old friend, and when you sit down in it, its like, "hey there...".
I didn't get it before but think I'm just learning that buying a chair isn't so much about material acquisition as it is about having something close by that has good memories or is inspiring (maybe a touchstone/reminder?) towards some aspect of design...
I want one of those eame's bent wood elephants. But, thats not really a chair, is it. And they cost too much.
Really, if its made well, does it have to be an original? I would gladly pay a skilled craftsman to recreate the elephant if it was cheaper. How much of the price is just the name alone? Often we like it because of how it looks, so why does it have to be original?
Sarah, I think if you found a skilled craftsman (this is when I holla for cryzko's return) you might as well design a piece and have then make it. I've been lucky enough to have a pieces built, but I long for the day to have it next to a modern masterpiece.
hey snoop
it's a designer's discount...if you're an architect you can contact herman miller and purchase through them...or their rep in your city...but it only works if you're a designer.
today i found three eames plywood chairs with wire bases in the trash at my building...all three of them with bases and rubber mounts intact...two of the seats have fallen off and one of the backs...but since the mounts are all there it should be fairly easy to reglue...by someone. two of them have the typical patch of screwing through the back, but thankfully the other is more or less perfect...although the bottom of the seat is black which makes me think someone sanded off the original finish.
regardless two of them have the original tags...and you can't beat the price.
SaraH - at first I was morally opposed to the idea of someone ripping off a design and then having someone else recreate it. I guess I still am a little, BUT $1900 for that elephant!!! WTF!?! That is just insaine
$1900 is a steal for the elephant...it is limited edition and will only go up in value. The mini Vitra elephant is cute as well
If anyone ever runs across an Eames LCM or LCW with the pony hide on it, try to buy it. These are worth about $30,000 on the auction market (the original ones, not the re-issued). The factory upohlstered chairs will have a tag on the under side of them saying that they are upohlstered, or they will have 4 holes from the tacks that held this tag
But see, thats just it mdler, I want the elephant for my kid, to play on. I want it to be enjoyed, not jusy admired. 1900 bucks is too much money for something that will get scratched, sat on, colored with crayon. I dont want the elephant as art, I want it as toy.
You know, I bet Husband could make it out of metal.
that's definitely not authentic.
there are a lot of replicas of that chair...in the title they call it the La corbusier chair...i wonder if that's how they get away with not saying it's a replica
apparently and its taken to taste that much of these supposedly patented designs can legally be copied, and bear the name. I remember reading it on architect about expired copyrights
SH - that elephant would be such a great addition to the kid room - I empathize with you...too bad at that price I'd never let my kid breathe on it. Sweet find.
I heart Harry Bertoia chairs. Found a beat-up vintage bird chair on ebay two years ago and stole it for $150 (retail is at least $2000). I even got the crusty original cover for it. I had to have it welded in a few spots around the mounts but otherwise it's back to beautiful. i should probably powder-coat it but first I am going to try to sew a new cover for it myself (retail is $500 for a cover). Still searching for the coordinating ottoman and a pair of diamond chairs.
if it's good design, then pay the money..... save up your pennies and buy it..... sort of funny how folks bitch about not getting paid for 'good design' but yet don't want to pay for 'good design'....
i think if we (designers) were paid well anough for design, then we could afford good design, and there would be more demand for good design, and then we could afford good design and we would be paid for for our designs... and then... whew
It's my first time to post here, and it's my pleasure to be part of the forum.
I think it doesn't matter anymore the price if its expensive or not if you really like it, the things you want to buy. AS long as your happy with it then go for it. Purchase it now..
Just want to ask if when could i put sigs here, are there any limits?
I'm also an interior designer and I have lots of clients who love these. New they run around 3K or 4K if it's an authentic Herman Miller (licensed), with the ottoman.
You can find older ones on Ebay, etc. but watch out for the fakes.
My hairstylist said her grandmother who had just died had one she was trying to sell, an original. Apparently she collected mid-century modern antique. Well, I said, how much. She said $700. I said, I'LL TAKE IT! But first I want to see a photo to be sure it's authentic.
She said, "oh it is, is has "the book" with it and everything. But I'll take pics and email them to you tonight".
So, as I anxiously awaited the photos, they came and I saw that it was indeed a BIG FAKE. I called her and said, "Sorry but this is not an authentic Eames Lounge Chair." She insisted that it was. I pointed out WHY it wasn't (number of feet on the chair, number of feet on the ottoman, whether or not one could see screws on the outside of the plywood, the angle the chair sat at, the arms not being one piece (not only that they were oval and flat not rounded around the sides).
So, she subsequently told me I didn't know what i was talking about and I that I wasn't a very good designer if I didn't know the difference and continued to insult my knowledge on design. I explained to her I didn't want her to get in trouble for selling a FAKE as an AUTHENTIC one. She didn't care. She sold it a few days later so an unsuspecting fool.
what do you guys think about the replicas if you cannot afford the real, ive seen some really good ones any does have any ideas on some sites where to get them
My husband and I recently came into an original Eames lounge chair. My husband works for Herman Miller and won the chair in an employee drawing. Although it is a gorgeous piece of history, we just simply do not have a safe place for it (our two year old son doesn't appreciate it). We would like to sell the chair. It is currently listed on ebay for $3,500. If anyone is interested, we are open to entertaining offers.
3k - 4k for an original Eames is rightly priced. There are a lot of knock-off version of this mid-century chair available at a fairly lesser price. I purchased an Eames lounge chair replica from Manhattan Home Design. I didn't want to spend more than 1K on a replica. This one came within my budget.
One suggestion is to look for a period Plycraft of Selig version of the Eames lounger. I have the Plycraft, it reclines unlike the Eames, and the headrest is a bit taller. Vintage Plycrafts are still fairly easy to find in good condition, and would set you back about $750 tops, often for much less. Link shows a photo of mine.
The images you shared are beautiful. Is that your real place where you live? If yes, I must say, whoever designed the house for you is extremely artistic. And the Eames has undoubtedly picked up its attention there :)
Eames lounge chair
greetings all- I'm sure this one has been tossed around on here before but any ideas about pricing on used Eames lounge chairs these days? I know that original ones are always expensive - especially the rosewood versions- but I'm wondering what fair price is for one these days? I don't feel like ebay is great indicator as everything seems to just get inflated on there with auction frenzy or something... But ebay or craigslist seems about only avenue to find one unless you're incredibly lucky at a garage sale or something. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
p.s. I've seen a few on ebay recently going in the $2500-3000 range but yikes- that's alot of money for a chair you know?
I like this post as I recently developed a chair fetish...
I'd also be very interested if anyone has info on used eames or other great classic chairs..
I've been thinking about trying to sell my soul to purchase an original "Scandia" chair by Hans Brattrud...
As a newbie in the world of chairs, I'm learning that obviously, people can be very particular about the manufacturer/craftsperson for certain chair designs (perhaps even the lot or batch number...) and "original chairs" or chairs produced by certain high-skilled manufacturers/craftspersons are going to be different than other modern day chairs or potential knock-offs.
That said, you probably know this but Herman Miller currently manufactures the eames chair in a variety of veneers and new it will range from $400-$600.
Here is the link to a boutique furniture store in Portland,OR that sells the eames new for $600: link
I have seen used "modern manufactuered" eames running around on the web priced way over the current new price....
but I'm thinking drum, you know all this, and you are probably looking for a beautiful original ; )
so best of luck!
anyone else salivating over a certain chair??
chingale
opps, sorry drum!
I am so busted... I've also been surfing the web about purchasing an eames veneer and just read your post too quickly to see that you were refering to the eames lounge.
sorry but happy chair search still!
chingale
opps, sorry drum!
I am so busted... I've also been surfing the web about purchasing an eames veneer and just read your post too quickly to see that you were refering to the eames lounge.
sorry but happy chair search still!
chingale
$3000 is about the right price for an Eames Lounge and ottoman. Assuming they're kept in good condition, they won't depreciate. If you see one for significantly less than that, chances are it's a knock-off. Herman Miller is the only company that's licensed to produce the authentic Eames design.
I love chairs also. I have always wanted to have a chair room when I build my house.
It seems like there are a lot of knock offs and repros of eames stuff and of meis stuff. Personaly I would be willing to wait and pay a little more to know you have something authentic. Could be tough on ebay.
The Herman Miller site has them list for about $4k brand new so you can probably get one for a lot less with a designer's discount.
Does anyone know what the original price for an Eames lounge was when they came out? It'd be interesting to see if, adjusted for inflation, the price has gone up or down.
I think about 3k would be fair, but I doubt you'll get the Ottoman included. Be certain to check if its leather or a "suitable" alternative. Within the first couple of years manufacturing the lounge, the experimented with a few options some of which have managed to survive nicely through the years.
Chingale those scandias are beautiful. I had my run in with Harry Bertoia wire chair that I found in a mechanics garage - I've been negotiating with him for about 6 months. I do want a eames bentwood something about them...
i can tell ya that you get about half off if you go through herman miller...
it still cost me about 2.5k for both the chair and ottoman..but really..why
would you want it for cheaper (other than the obvious) if it's an original it's worth it...well made, very comfortable chair.
of course it'd be better to find one on the street..but at this point i'm pretty sure that's not happening.
the days of being able to pick up an eames lounge at a garage sale are long gone. kinda sad in my opinion - the ebayification of the world. the upside is that it challenges the modern chair collector to go in different directions and judge a chair based on its quality rather that its trademark. i find myself far less impressed by a home filled with the classics as a home filled with lovingly collected well-made, obscure originals. i think it's the record collector (snob) in me.
Thanks for all the posts and input everybody!
Seven- I saw one post in a forum online where someone found Eames chair like this at garage sale. They said original price of the chairs was $578 in 1956. Can't verify any of that or anything but that was one tale I read online...)
a little more info from Orlando Sentinel article on the MoMA exhibit:
"In the first year, Herman Miller sold only 484 of the chairs, which cost $404, plus $174 for the ottoman. But sales steadily rose after that to a peak of 4,255 in 1978.
The chair's popularity fell in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, but with the revival of all things Midcentury -- and perhaps with aging Baby Boomers showing interest in a comfy but stylish chair -- sales have picked up. Last year, the company sold 4,010 chairs.
Even so, the lounge chair's status as a luxury item is clear. In 50 years, total sales have amounted to only 106,000 chairs."
I love the Harry Bertola wire chairs as well...
For other chair folks, I know it has probably been plugged on archinect before, but I just completed the DIS Scandinavian Furniture Design Summer Program in Copenhagen link and can't recommend it enough...I feel very lucky and grateful for the experience early on in my education.
I don't think it is as fabulous for students who already have considerable furniture design experience and/or schools with excellent shop facilities/instruction. But for myself, the opportunity to learn plywood veneer molding techniques under some top-notch instruction while being immersed in scandinavian design and architecture was just the ticket....
the great feeling is that now when I see a certain chair in a store window or in a gallery that I spent time sketching, measuring, and analyzing how it was made, etc...it kinda feels like you're seeing an old friend, and when you sit down in it, its like, "hey there...".
I didn't get it before but think I'm just learning that buying a chair isn't so much about material acquisition as it is about having something close by that has good memories or is inspiring (maybe a touchstone/reminder?) towards some aspect of design...
other people got a fav chair?
I want one of those eame's bent wood elephants. But, thats not really a chair, is it. And they cost too much.
Really, if its made well, does it have to be an original? I would gladly pay a skilled craftsman to recreate the elephant if it was cheaper. How much of the price is just the name alone? Often we like it because of how it looks, so why does it have to be original?
*Anybody a skilled craftsman?
Sarah, I think if you found a skilled craftsman (this is when I holla for cryzko's return) you might as well design a piece and have then make it. I've been lucky enough to have a pieces built, but I long for the day to have it next to a modern masterpiece.
For the record, my cat hasn't thrown up on it or scratched it yet.
in response to earlier question about costs for the chair then vs. now, I plugged it into the online inflation calculator for kicks and it said:
"What cost $578 in 1956 would cost $4429.39 in 2007."
Nice score Living in Gin!.... I need some of that luck!
heres the elephant. Seems the name of the web site is apropo.
http://www.highbrowfurniture.com/accessories/products/elephant/
sorry about being too lazy for the fancypants linking.
That is really interesting, drum, thanks. So I guess it was never really modernism for the masses, huh?
mdler is the expert on elephant-themed accessories.
LIG,
great eames chair story, and thanks for the link to more chair discussions online.
Dear Larslarson:
What do you mean by "go thru Herman Miller"? I've been wanting an Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman (Ivory leather / walnut) for years.
How can I go thru Humer Miller and pay $2,500?
Do you mind telling me how I, too, can go thru Herman Miller?
I'm not an architect or designer.
hey snoop
it's a designer's discount...if you're an architect you can contact herman miller and purchase through them...or their rep in your city...but it only works if you're a designer.
today i found three eames plywood chairs with wire bases in the trash at my building...all three of them with bases and rubber mounts intact...two of the seats have fallen off and one of the backs...but since the mounts are all there it should be fairly easy to reglue...by someone. two of them have the typical patch of screwing through the back, but thankfully the other is more or less perfect...although the bottom of the seat is black which makes me think someone sanded off the original finish.
regardless two of them have the original tags...and you can't beat the price.
I had a friend in school who bought an eames bent ply chair from a lady in the parking lot of a thrift store. She was about to donate it for free...
SaraH - at first I was morally opposed to the idea of someone ripping off a design and then having someone else recreate it. I guess I still am a little, BUT $1900 for that elephant!!! WTF!?! That is just insaine
$1900 is a steal for the elephant...it is limited edition and will only go up in value. The mini Vitra elephant is cute as well
If anyone ever runs across an Eames LCM or LCW with the pony hide on it, try to buy it. These are worth about $30,000 on the auction market (the original ones, not the re-issued). The factory upohlstered chairs will have a tag on the under side of them saying that they are upohlstered, or they will have 4 holes from the tacks that held this tag
But see, thats just it mdler, I want the elephant for my kid, to play on. I want it to be enjoyed, not jusy admired. 1900 bucks is too much money for something that will get scratched, sat on, colored with crayon. I dont want the elephant as art, I want it as toy.
You know, I bet Husband could make it out of metal.
Is the chaise lounge chair authentic? and is it comfortable? No
arm-rests ....
that's definitely not authentic.
there are a lot of replicas of that chair...in the title they call it the La corbusier chair...i wonder if that's how they get away with not saying it's a replica
apparently and its taken to taste that much of these supposedly patented designs can legally be copied, and bear the name. I remember reading it on architect about expired copyrights
SH - that elephant would be such a great addition to the kid room - I empathize with you...too bad at that price I'd never let my kid breathe on it. Sweet find.
I heart Harry Bertoia chairs. Found a beat-up vintage bird chair on ebay two years ago and stole it for $150 (retail is at least $2000). I even got the crusty original cover for it. I had to have it welded in a few spots around the mounts but otherwise it's back to beautiful. i should probably powder-coat it but first I am going to try to sew a new cover for it myself (retail is $500 for a cover). Still searching for the coordinating ottoman and a pair of diamond chairs.
http://hivemodern.com/products/?view=sub_product&sid=471
Ok
I sometimes browse overstock.com for chair knockoffs...
cowhide corb chaise lounge here looks nice:
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Cow-Hide-Cover-Chaise-Lounge/3065335/product.html
actually, amazon has quite alot of stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dfurniture&field-keywords=eames
if it's good design, then pay the money..... save up your pennies and buy it..... sort of funny how folks bitch about not getting paid for 'good design' but yet don't want to pay for 'good design'....
i think if we (designers) were paid well anough for design, then we could afford good design, and there would be more demand for good design, and then we could afford good design and we would be paid for for our designs... and then... whew
Hello,
It's my first time to post here, and it's my pleasure to be part of the forum.
I think it doesn't matter anymore the price if its expensive or not if you really like it, the things you want to buy. AS long as your happy with it then go for it. Purchase it now..
Just want to ask if when could i put sigs here, are there any limits?
Enjoy shopping..Thanks!
I'm also an interior designer and I have lots of clients who love these. New they run around 3K or 4K if it's an authentic Herman Miller (licensed), with the ottoman.
You can find older ones on Ebay, etc. but watch out for the fakes.
My hairstylist said her grandmother who had just died had one she was trying to sell, an original. Apparently she collected mid-century modern antique. Well, I said, how much. She said $700. I said, I'LL TAKE IT! But first I want to see a photo to be sure it's authentic.
She said, "oh it is, is has "the book" with it and everything. But I'll take pics and email them to you tonight".
So, as I anxiously awaited the photos, they came and I saw that it was indeed a BIG FAKE. I called her and said, "Sorry but this is not an authentic Eames Lounge Chair." She insisted that it was. I pointed out WHY it wasn't (number of feet on the chair, number of feet on the ottoman, whether or not one could see screws on the outside of the plywood, the angle the chair sat at, the arms not being one piece (not only that they were oval and flat not rounded around the sides).
So, she subsequently told me I didn't know what i was talking about and I that I wasn't a very good designer if I didn't know the difference and continued to insult my knowledge on design. I explained to her I didn't want her to get in trouble for selling a FAKE as an AUTHENTIC one. She didn't care. She sold it a few days later so an unsuspecting fool.
Needless to say, she doesn't cut my hair anymore.
what do you guys think about the replicas if you cannot afford the real, ive seen some really good ones any does have any ideas on some sites where to get them
So beautiful! If you also love contemporary (sofas, chairs, lamps, etc.), you might want to check these as well: www.archiexpo.com/architecture-design-manufacturer/contemporary-lounge-chair-2778.html
Not spam: The Documenting Modern Living Tumblr has a post today on the Eames lounge chair.
HelloYou
The Eames inspired Lounge Chair vitra replica
RIP-OFF ALERT.
You should be put out of business, scum.
My husband and I recently came into an original Eames lounge chair. My husband works for Herman Miller and won the chair in an employee drawing. Although it is a gorgeous piece of history, we just simply do not have a safe place for it (our two year old son doesn't appreciate it). We would like to sell the chair. It is currently listed on ebay for $3,500. If anyone is interested, we are open to entertaining offers.
5 Instances Of The Eames Lounge Reproduction Glorifying A Room
http://www.barcelona-designs.com/blogs/news/88195969-5-instances-of-the-eames-lounge-reproduction-glorifying-a-room
3k - 4k for an original Eames is rightly priced. There are a lot of knock-off version of this mid-century chair available at a fairly lesser price. I purchased an Eames lounge chair replica from Manhattan Home Design. I didn't want to spend more than 1K on a replica. This one came within my budget.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/75562383@N03/26393558886/in/album-72157629528521766/
One suggestion is to look for a period Plycraft of Selig version of the Eames lounger. I have the Plycraft, it reclines unlike the Eames, and the headrest is a bit taller. Vintage Plycrafts are still fairly easy to find in good condition, and would set you back about $750 tops, often for much less. Link shows a photo of mine.
Hi Kevin,
The images you shared are beautiful. Is that your real place where you live? If yes, I must say, whoever designed the house for you is extremely artistic. And the Eames has undoubtedly picked up its attention there :)
After many years of collecting, the entire mid-century american cult is slowing ending.
It was fun, but.....new forces are in play.
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