Despite growing up in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere I've always had great appreciation for all things modern. Of course, I didn't even know what the term mid century modern even meant at the time, but I did know that I liked these things that were so different from my every day surroundings. In case you didn't know, Northwest Oklahoma isn't exactly a mid century modern mecca. Western decor, cowboy hats and trailer homes were plentiful in those parts. You'd have been hard pressed to come across something of the Eames variety very often, so when I did it always left an impression on me. Perhaps that is why I have always had such a fascination with the Eames lounge chair.
From the first time I saw an Eames lounge chair I was hooked. There was something about the form of the wooden shells combined with the plush leather upholstery that intrigued me. Though I had not physically encountered one of these chairs at the time, I dreamed that one day I would own an Eames chair (real or replica) of my own.
That day finally came this year after I came across an ad on Craigslist for a modern lounge chair. The description quickly caught my eye so within a few seconds I had opened the link in hopes that it might contain photos of my dream chair. Lucky for me, it did. Well kinda. The ad displayed what I determined to be a late 60s to early 70s replica chair with tan leather. To be honest, I've always preferred the black leather and rosewood combination but as you might suspect they are a bit harder to come by. Not to mention insanely expensive. I had come across a number of them listed online, but the prices accompanying the chairs always left me resigned to admire the photos from behind my keyboard. Fortunately, the price attached to this particular chair was much more accommodating. Beggars can't be choosers, so I made contact with the seller and started negotiations in hopes that I might be able to land this chair at an even better price than what was listed. It took some time and the help of a good friend, but in the end I got the chair for little to nothing and was extremely pleased with the purchase. I finally had my chair.
As with many vintage pieces of furniture, the chair has some regular wear and could benefit from a little TLC. I plan to sand the shells down and refinish them to revive the life in the wood and address a few other minor details. There are a number of sites online that provide tips on how to handle restoration of the various versions of the chairs. One site in particular provides a great step by step guide for how to reupholster and refinish an Eames lounge chair. I'm not sure if I will take the full leap and try to reupholster my chair, but it's good to know there are other DIYers out there who have achieved it with some level of success. For now, the chair resides comfortably in our bedroom and though it is just a replica, I'm delighted to have it. I look forward to the day that I can breathe new life into a piece that played such an integral part in developing my interest in mid century modern design.
A few Eames chair resources:
That day finally came this year after I came across an ad on Craigslist for a modern lounge chair. The description quickly caught my eye so within a few seconds I had opened the link in hopes that it might contain photos of my dream chair. Lucky for me, it did. Well kinda. The ad displayed what I determined to be a late 60s to early 70s replica chair with tan leather. To be honest, I've always preferred the black leather and rosewood combination but as you might suspect they are a bit harder to come by. Not to mention insanely expensive. I had come across a number of them listed online, but the prices accompanying the chairs always left me resigned to admire the photos from behind my keyboard. Fortunately, the price attached to this particular chair was much more accommodating. Beggars can't be choosers, so I made contact with the seller and started negotiations in hopes that I might be able to land this chair at an even better price than what was listed. It took some time and the help of a good friend, but in the end I got the chair for little to nothing and was extremely pleased with the purchase. I finally had my chair.As with many vintage pieces of furniture, the chair has some regular wear and could benefit from a little TLC. I plan to sand the shells down and refinish them to revive the life in the wood and address a few other minor details. There are a number of sites online that provide tips on how to handle restoration of the various versions of the chairs. One site in particular provides a great step by step guide for how to reupholster and refinish an Eames lounge chair. I'm not sure if I will take the full leap and try to reupholster my chair, but it's good to know there are other DIYers out there who have achieved it with some level of success. For now, the chair resides comfortably in our bedroom and though it is just a replica, I'm delighted to have it. I look forward to the day that I can breathe new life into a piece that played such an integral part in developing my interest in mid century modern design.
A few Eames chair resources:
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