Herman Miller Eames Chair

[ramminghard]

Have an opportunity to purchase what either is an authentic or replica Herman Miller Eames Lounger and Ottoman.

I have done some research on how to distinguish the authentic item from a replica. Can anyone determine from the attached picture whether or not the chair is authentic? I have not seen anything on it that makes be believe it is not authentic but would like to be sure.

This is the only picture I have available at the time.

[Aerobat]

My girlfriend whos an interior designer says the only way to be sure is there should be a label on the bottom of the chair.....Send me the info if you decide not to buy it..I may be interested..

Jeff

[R-Audi]

Make the seller prove its authentic, or just offer to pay the price for a replica.

[FixedGear]

If it's authentic, it will say herman miller on the bottom. if it's a reproduction though, it doesn't necessarily mean it's poor quality. i guess you just want to make sure they aren't charging you the price of an authentioc piece for a reproduction. are you buying from a photo, or will you be able to inspect it prior to purchase? I would familiarize yourself with new and used preices for authentic and reproductions before buying this. also, see if the seller will tell you the manufacturer - they should tell you unless of course they are actual scammers

[you&me]

I'd used this link (http://manhattan-nest.com/2013/03/25/real-vs-fake-the-eames-lounge/) when I was looking at a lounger a few months back. It (and others I looked at) turned out to be fake and I kind of lost interest in wading through the BS.

The problem is, the chairs were nothing but 'used furniture' when they fell out of flavour for a while and in that time, lots of real chairs were discarded. Once they became 'cool' again, the replicas started popping up and as the prices for the real ones goes up, so does the quality and effort put into replicas. Tricky situation. There's all sorts of 'barn finds' of authentic chairs out there, but there's also so many (good) fakes that they've been passed along through several owners as authentic and sometimes people legitimately believe they had the real deal when they don't... Tricky situation.

If you're paying the price for an authentic chair, it's significant enough that you should either have an expert look at it, or contact some reputable dealers and source one that way. If you're paying the price for a rep and like the chair as is, go for it. Hell, you might even end up with an authentic one by accident.

[FixedGear]

The Eames loungs chair is one of the most famous (and most reproduced) pieces in history. Most of the pieces you come across (new and used) will be reproductions. However, many of the reproductions are made to high standards by reputable companies. You see these chairs in furniture stores all over the place, but unless it's an authorized HM dealer, the chair is a reproduction. again, doens't mean it's poor quality.

I would not avoid buying it just because it's a reproduction. Just don't let them pass it off as an authentic piece, because they command far higher prices obviouslyl.

EDIT: here's a link with some info: http://jetsetrnv8r.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/vintage-furniture-%E2%80%93-real-or-fake-eames-lounge-chair-ottoman/


and a photo of the label on a vintage piece: http://jetsetrnv8r.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/eames-label1.jpg

[npham]

You guys are going to cost me a fortune. That chair is sweet!

[CanmoreOrLess]

You'd know if it is authentic, worth north of $4K when new and worth more if an earlier version. The one being sold is a knock off, you can tell by the wood thickness, base colour, armrest looks to thick, etc... Might be comfortable, looks OK from the photo and this might be good enough for most of us.

http://www.wright20.com/auctions/view/PPVF/PPVH/108/lotno_asc/none/QQWI/

If you thought collectable cars were shocking, check out the world of design: http://www.wright20.com/auctions/view/Q9DL/Q9DM/

[ramminghard]

Thanks for the help guys. It was being sold at an auction that a co-worker attends regularly and the auction house would not confirm authenticity. Ended up not following through on it.

[msommers]

What the heck is so great about these chairs to warrant a 4,000+ price tag?!

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by msommers
What the heck is so great about these chairs to warrant a 4,000+ price tag?!


When I asked what a Herman Miller was:


Originally posted by Mrs.Tik-Tok
You obviously aren't a hipster or interior decorator

[Lex350]

I used to be the design director at the local Herman Miller dealer. What people are saying is correct. There should be a label on the bottom of the chair. The older ones will have a round logo label. The newer ones will have a rectangular label.

There shouldn't be any numbers on any of the hardware pieces visible. If you see some, then it will be a reproduction.

There are some good reproductions out there and there are some terrible ones. Never buy one without seeing it first. Arc Resources bought quite a few reproduction models out of China. They actually look really good. Much cheaper.

That one looks like the most common model...Walnut. If you ever come across somebody that is selling a Rosewood model, grab it. They just keep going up in value. I've seen some priced at over $14k.

For anybody that wants to get a new model from Herman Miller, find yourself a designer friend. The chairs only go on sale once a year but if you get it through a designer friend you can save another 15%.

I've had a Cherry model for about 10 years now. I love the chair.

[R-Audi]

Originally posted by rotten42

There are some good reproductions out there and there are some terrible ones. Never buy one without seeing it first. Arc Resources bought quite a few reproduction models out of China. They actually look really good. Much cheaper.



Small world.. I was part of the group from ARC that went over to China to source and pick out that furniture! I was impressed with the quality, but never having seen the real ones at that point it didnt mean much. (Even today Ive only seen vintage ones)

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by rotten42
I used to be the design director at the local Herman Miller dealer. What people are saying is correct. There should be a label on the bottom of the chair. The older ones will have a round logo label. The newer ones will have a rectangular label.

There shouldn't be any numbers on any of the hardware pieces visible. If you see some, then it will be a reproduction.

There are some good reproductions out there and there are some terrible ones. Never buy one without seeing it first. Arc Resources bought quite a few reproduction models out of China. They actually look really good. Much cheaper.

That one looks like the most common model...Walnut. If you ever come across somebody that is selling a Rosewood model, grab it. They just keep going up in value. I've seen some priced at over $14k.

For anybody that wants to get a new model from Herman Miller, find yourself a designer friend. The chairs only go on sale once a year but if you get it through a designer friend you can save another 15%.

I've had a Cherry model for about 10 years now. I love the chair.

Get your bid in, $3,500 opening bid on a rosewood model on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-Eames-Rosewood-Herman-Miller-Lounge-Chair-Ottoman-Mid-Century-Modern/271339828112?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D261%26meid%3D3259190198421528311%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D1088%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D141135702894%26

[Lex350]

Originally posted by R-Audi


Small world.. I was part of the group from ARC that went over to China to source and pick out that furniture! I was impressed with the quality, but never having seen the real ones at that point it didnt mean much. (Even today Ive only seen vintage ones)


Then I'm sure we met because we managed the importing of all the off shore furniture for you.

[sputnik]

I got my Herman Miller chair for $5 at a garage sale.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VBkrMSAgWbE/TrL0xa2gL5I/AAAAAAAAAfc/rdOdty21sZk/s640/_MG_9403_blog.jpg

[Neil4Speed]

Even quality reproductions are quite pricy, you can find them on AliExpress for ~1k, but who knows the quality. I'm sure R-Audi probably saw quite a few shitty reproductions too.

[sputnik]

Here is one for $2400 in Winnipeg.

http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-furniture-chairs-recliners-1970s-Charles-Ray-Eames-Herman-Miller-670-671-W0QQAdIdZ542872523

[R-Audi]

Originally posted by rotten42



Then I'm sure we met because we managed the importing of all the off shore furniture for you.

Very small world. So you worked with Kevin? (Cant remember the company name)

[Lex350]

Originally posted by R-Audi


Very small world. So you worked with Kevin? (Cant remember the company name)

I was Kevin's partner.