This is the real thing and I love it - an Eames LCW from Herman Miller Lately, I've been seeing more not-so-bad knock offs of some classic designs. This is not to say that I prefer these to the real thing or that I that I think they're the same quality (they are usually NOT), but from the perspective of someone who often has a tight budget, I DO think that there's a place for the well done copy, especially when it's a classic design and the price points are so radically different... That said, I have to point out that you are definitely dealing with a semi-skeezy crowd when you are dealing with knock offs, and it really helps to know the difference, and you should also beware of anyone who claims it's the real thing. I found this forum really helpful at DesignAddict, and this quote as well: "The differences are easy to spot. The knock offs all have screws and bolts showing on the outside...I've looked at a lot of other knock offs of various iconic pieces and I've found that the differences are mostly very obvious once you know what to look for.

A leg will have a different taper, hardware will show, proportions will be different, upholstery details will differ..." ~ Spanky >> Welcome to the knock off debate with 76 comments from our readers. And here's a great post from Joel & Maria Pirela: Target vs. Designers. After sending out the above in an email last week, one reader wrote in and said: "Your misunderstanding of basic authenticity and integrity bothers me very much. I don't have time for people that rationalize and encourage this kind of behavior."wood rocking chair with leather seat I realize that writing about this subject may seem confusing and I'm a little sensitive to the criticism, but I think that it's reasonable to be a lover of design and a proponent of quality and still find a place in the world for a much lower priced copy of something you love.cape cod chair online

The truth is that buying original, protein furniture is EXPENSIVE and, particularly now, not everyone is fabulously wealthy and can afford everything they want or need. In these cases, I think that it is acceptable to buy a copy of something you love because it's the most you can afford and because it's the BEST you can afford. And, hey, some of these copies are pretty well made and people have put work into them, so I don't want to look down my nose at them. I am not into getting all snooty about design and authenticity, but I do believe in honesty in sales.gaming pc chair australia What I think is REALLY bad is lying and passing off a fake as the real thing. small rocking chair for toddlersThat is a crime.cheap inflatable camping chair

>> Darius Leather Visitor Chair from Target - I first saw this at Alex's in Los Angeles last month and couldn't believe how good it looked. A lighter version of the Eames Soft Pad Management Chair the price difference is roughly $370 compared to $2,200. >> Eames Style Management Chair from InMod - This is from the online seller, Inmod, which specializes in "highly accurate reproductions." Inmod has a ton more, but I pulled this one as representative. If will run you $525 as opposed to $1,200 for the Eames Aluminum Group Management Chair.barrel chairs on ebay >> Ripple Leather Office Chair from Crate & Barrel - Is this a knock off, or just "inspired by" Eames? Crate's very watered down version of the Aluminum Management Chair costs only $260. >> Eiffel Bucket Chair from White on White - This online shop is another source of a trove of knock offs that run a fraction of the price, hence their disclaimer: "WHITE FURNITURE'S PRODUCTS ARE NOT MANUFACTURED BY, SPONSORED BY, AFFILIATED WITH, OR ASSOCIATED WITH HERMAN MILLER, CHARLES OR RAY EAMES, KNOLL, FRITZ HANSEN OR OTHER COMPANIES."

This Eiffel chair is very similar to the Eames molded plastic side chair, but runs $170 as opposed to $250. >> The Ames Collection from Sphere Designs - This retailer is based in San Francisco and they have a really corny copycat name for their Eames lookalikes. The Lounge and Ottoman (bottom) goes for $900 as opposed to $3,700 for the real thing. >> Retro Rocker Arm from Alphaville - These guys seem to be the manufacturers of a lot of these knock offs as they have tons and supply to other shops. The rocker above is pretty identical to the Eames Rocker, but instead of $480 it sells for $345Charles and Ray Eames, who pioneered modern chair design in the 1940s and '50s, were responsible for some of the most innovative chairs of the 20th century. Their chairs were fabricated from wood, fiberglass, plastic, and metal mesh. Eames chairs have been widely imitated, but originals are highly sought-after by collectors because they are considered breakthroughs in both design and technology.

In 1940, Charles Eames met Ray Kaiser at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, which was also home to architect and Eames collaborator Eero Saarinen and furniture designer Harry Bertoia. The couple married a year later and moved to Los Angeles to continue their work in molded plywood. By 1945, the couple had figured out how to create compound curves in molded plywood. One of their first pieces was a birch child’s chair and stool manufactured by the Molded Plywood Division of Evans Products — production was limited to just 5,000 pieces. Evans also produced about 1,000 LCW chairs (which stands for Lounge Chair Wood) before the Eameses began a long collaboration with the Herman Miller Furniture Company, which produced and distributed a number of chairs for them, including the DCM (Dining Chair Metal), in which two pieces of plywood are secured to a solid-rod chromed frame with rubber shock mounts. In 1951, Herman Miller was selling 2,000 of these chairs a month (examples with wooden legs were less popular, making them more collectible today).

Molded fiberglass chairs in a variety of bright colors — with or without arms, with or without a rocking base — came next. Serious Eames connoisseurs look for chairs from this period, 1950-1953, with a "Miller-Zenith" label on their undersides. The ones with wooden bases (DAW, PAW) are less common and thus more sought-after than the ones with metal legs (DAR, LAX, LAR, RAR). Around the same time, the couple designed chairs made from sturdy wire mesh, with covers available in leather, vinyl, and fabric by designer Alexander Girard. These were the chairs that the Eameses produced for the mass consumer. By 1956, well-heeled customers could order a Lounge Chair and Ottoman, whose molded rosewood plywood form embraced rich leather upholstery. The chair is still available today from Herman Miller in cherry and walnut. In 1958, the couple launched a chair collection called the Aluminum Group, which included a desk chair and a lounge chair — the armless models of the latter are most prized today.

In 1960, Eames designed several chairs and a trio of stools for the new Time-Life Building in New York. One was an Executive Desk Chair, the other an Intermediate Desk Chair, which was a smaller version of the Executive that did not sell as well, making it the more prized of the two today. Steven Cabella's personal homage to Charles and Ray Eames. This site is as clean and visually appealing as the Eame… [read review or visit site] Work of Charles and Ray Eames This Library of Congress microsite is an overview of the postwar modern design work of Charles (1907-78) and Ray (1… Herman Miller Consortium Collection This website showcases several hundred pieces of furniture, held by thirteen museums, that were designed for Herman… This archived overview produced by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts offers thumbnail sketches of the design moveme… Buffalo Architecture and History Chuck LaChiusa's wonderful guide to the architecture and history of Buffalo, NY, also happens to host an impressive…