 |
| Plycraft lounge chair and ottoman by George Mulhauser |
 |
| Vintage stereo with orange fabric |
 |
| Danish tea cart |
 |
| Brutalist wall sculpture |
Showing posts with label Plycraft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plycraft. Show all posts
Friday, July 15, 2011
In the store: Furniture and wall decor
We may have to wait a few days for the Nelson clock, but Wednesday's picking trip out of state was instant gratification. My SIL came home with a red lounge chair and ottoman designed by George Mulhauser for Plycraft, another great console stereo, a nice little tea cart and a large Brutalist wall sculpture.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
If you've gotta have a problem...
When I posted about the recovered McIntosh chairs a couple of days ago, I promised to show them with the table once we got them into the store. Thank goodness my SIL got a picture of them quickly. This beautiful table and chairs went on the floor Thursday and sold yesterday. Here is the picture of the whole set, right before it was whisked out the door.
The store is starting to look a little empty. Lately, the minute we put something out, it's gone in a flash. It seems like we're rearranging the floor constantly. If you've gotta have a problem, I suppose that's the kind you want. My SIL just moved several pieces into storage, so an early-morning trip to retrieve them and a quick floor re-stock will be in order today before time to open.
We have a great Danish settee that's getting a little upholstery face-lift, as well as a Carter Brothers scoop chair and a Plycraft lounge chair that are getting a bit of a makeover. Looks like it's time to speed up the process on all of them.
The store is starting to look a little empty. Lately, the minute we put something out, it's gone in a flash. It seems like we're rearranging the floor constantly. If you've gotta have a problem, I suppose that's the kind you want. My SIL just moved several pieces into storage, so an early-morning trip to retrieve them and a quick floor re-stock will be in order today before time to open.
We have a great Danish settee that's getting a little upholstery face-lift, as well as a Carter Brothers scoop chair and a Plycraft lounge chair that are getting a bit of a makeover. Looks like it's time to speed up the process on all of them.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
According to a Collector: Is it real?
I recently ran across an article entitled "Is It Real?" on the Jet Set Modern website. It is a three-part look at originals, knockoffs, reproductions and re-issues from the point of view of a collector, a manufacturer and an heir of a famous designer.
Collector Sandy McLendon contends that most people have a knee-jerk reaction to pieces other than an original for several reasons: respect for the designer's intent, the desire to protect an investment or plain ol' snobbery. McLendon also points out, and I think rightfully so, that most people don't understand design law and don't really have a clear understanding of the terms original, knock-off, reproduction or re-issue, even though they may think they do.
McLendon is quick to point out that there is much "gray area" surrounding these terms and warns against oversimplification but, with that caveat, gives a quick, general definition of each one:
Authorized re-issues are usually produced because the original company no longer exists or no longer wants to make the product. In this case, the designer, his or her heirs or the old company gives permission to another company, as in the case of Vitra's George Nelson Coconut chair, which Herman Miller decided was too expensive to produce.
And what does the law say about all this anyway? Interestingly enough, you can pretty much copy anything you want to as long as you make a few changes, even something as minor as a color change, don't call it by the designer's trademark name and don't apply a fake label.
But then you have to deal with the thorny issue of what exactly constitutes an "original." Is it the prototype of a product? Is it a production piece? And then is it the earliest production or the latest? Or if you've bought an "original" Eames lounge chair but it has been reupholstered or restuffed, is it really still "original"?
All these are things the collector must consider when buying mid-century pieces. McLendon suggested that there actually are some good reasons to buy reproductions or re-issues:
But does McLendon want repros or re-issues after somewhat making a case for them? No, not really.
When you line them all up, you begin to see why this is such a confusing and difficult issue. Everybody, it seems, makes a chair like this...and a few of them were actually designed by Charles Eames.
(This is the first of three posts on this topic. The second will run Thursday, February 24. The third will run on Thursday, March 3.)
Collector Sandy McLendon contends that most people have a knee-jerk reaction to pieces other than an original for several reasons: respect for the designer's intent, the desire to protect an investment or plain ol' snobbery. McLendon also points out, and I think rightfully so, that most people don't understand design law and don't really have a clear understanding of the terms original, knock-off, reproduction or re-issue, even though they may think they do.
McLendon is quick to point out that there is much "gray area" surrounding these terms and warns against oversimplification but, with that caveat, gives a quick, general definition of each one:
- Knock-off - An item usually of inferior quality that borrows liberally from a design without actually copying it
- Reproduction - An exact copy of a item that is of equal quality (or sometimes even better) and sometimes even made by the company that made the original
- Re-issue - An item that is put back into production after being discontinued, sometimes using original molds or dies and sometimes addressing design or production problems encountered when making the original, resulting in a better product
Authorized re-issues are usually produced because the original company no longer exists or no longer wants to make the product. In this case, the designer, his or her heirs or the old company gives permission to another company, as in the case of Vitra's George Nelson Coconut chair, which Herman Miller decided was too expensive to produce.
Unauthorized reproductions usually result when the original design patent expires, at which time it's anybody's game, but they can be the result of a company's having bought old molds and dies from a company going out of business.
And what does the law say about all this anyway? Interestingly enough, you can pretty much copy anything you want to as long as you make a few changes, even something as minor as a color change, don't call it by the designer's trademark name and don't apply a fake label.
But then you have to deal with the thorny issue of what exactly constitutes an "original." Is it the prototype of a product? Is it a production piece? And then is it the earliest production or the latest? Or if you've bought an "original" Eames lounge chair but it has been reupholstered or restuffed, is it really still "original"?
All these are things the collector must consider when buying mid-century pieces. McLendon suggested that there actually are some good reasons to buy reproductions or re-issues:
- They're more affordable than very rare pieces.
- They can be used as a "placeholder" in a collection till an original piece is found.
- They can be substituted for pieces so valuable that actual use is impractical.
But does McLendon want repros or re-issues after somewhat making a case for them? No, not really.
 |
| Genuine Eames 670 Lounge Chair and 671 Ottoman ($7,250) 1stdibs.com |
 |
| Genuine Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, 1956 ($9,800) Made the first production year. Does this make it "more original"? Price tag says "Yes!" |
 |
| Unidentified Eames knock-off...Notice the extra leg on the ottoman? jetsetrnv8r.wordpress.com |
 |
| Selig "Eames" chair oldschoolartifacts.com |
 |
| Plycraft "Eames" lounge chair and ottoman ($549) planetmodern.com |
 |
| Vitra Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman vitra.com |
When you line them all up, you begin to see why this is such a confusing and difficult issue. Everybody, it seems, makes a chair like this...and a few of them were actually designed by Charles Eames.
(This is the first of three posts on this topic. The second will run Thursday, February 24. The third will run on Thursday, March 3.)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
More mid-century masochism
Looking at mid-century listings around the country on Craigslist can hurt so good! Here are the lastest luscious items that technology puts right at my fingertips...but geography keeps completely out of my reach.
The Paul Laszlo cocktail table and the turquoise lamp are absolutely killing me.
All photos from craigslist.org
The Paul Laszlo cocktail table and the turquoise lamp are absolutely killing me.
All photos from craigslist.org
 |
| Bertoia for Knoll chairs - Seattle |
 |
| Brass light fixture - Seattle |
 |
| Cork table lamps - Seattle |
 |
| Drexel Declaration credenza - Los Angeles |
 |
| DUX lounge chair - Los Angeles |
 |
| Finn Juhl armchairs - Chicago |
 |
| Florence Knoll chair - Philadelphia |
 |
| George Mulhauser for Plycraft - Los Angeles |
 |
| Grete Jalk sofa - Seattle |
 |
| Jens Risom swivel chair - Portland |
 |
| Milo Baughman dresser & night stands - Los Angeles |
 |
| Paul Laszlo cocktail table - Los Angeles |
 |
| Paul McCobb Planner headboard - Portland |
 |
| Pink refrigerator with turquoise interior - Denver |
 |
| Turquoise lamp - Indianapolis |
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Norman Cherner
One of the first pre-fabricated houses in the United States was Cherner's "Pre-built". It was designed, produced and assembled in 1957 for the U.S. Department of Housing. After being exhibited in Vienna it was shipped back to Connecticut to become his first home and studio outside of New York City.
Norman Cherner's furniture designs include a modular storage system, the "Konwiser Line" of furniture and lighting and molded plywood seating for Plycraft which he designed in 1958. The molded plywood "Cherner Chair" became his most recognized design and is found in furniture collections worldwide.
When Cherner presented his design for the famous chair to Plycraft, he was told it was impractical to produce, yet six months later, he saw the chair on a showroom floor attributed to a designer named "Bernardo," who was a creation of the Plycraft marketing department. Cherner sued Plycraft and won. As a result of the legal actions, the chair is sometimes attributed to the fictitious Bernardo, to Cherner, and even to Paul Goldman, the founder of Plycraft. The chair appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in a Norman Rockwell illustration, so it is sometimes even referred to as the "Rockwell Chair."
If you'd like to see a beautiful Cherner chair restoration, see my Toshmahal post about Dallas furniture restorer/refinisher Hank Tosh. He brought a badly abused chair back to life.
From chernerchair.com, designaddict.com and dwr.com
 |
Cherner armchair
furniture.architecture.sk
|
 |
Cherner armchairs and side chairs
chernerchair.com
|
 |
Cherner upholstered chair
chairblog.eu
|
 |
Cherner iron and maple chair
1stdibs.com
|
 |
Cherner iron and walnut tables
1stdibs.com
|
 |
Cherner barstools
eventlucky.com
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)