Conservation
Hi Leif. Thanks for your message. I would be disappointed not to use this chair, but maybe this one is just too special to be a piece of furniture. I'm not sure what I would do with it in that case.
I'm also worried what to do with it now. I live in a Brooklyn brownstone where we don't control the heat, and the apartment gets very dry when the radiators turn on. I'm worried this will dry the wood and further damage the leather. We don't get a lot of direct sunlight, but we get big fluctuations in temperature.
I've actually put the chair in a climate controlled storage unit for now until I figure out what to do with the chair. (We also have a narrow entry and stairwell, so it is complicated to get the chair up to the apartment, and I don't want to damage the wood or shock mounts as we carry it up.).
Any idea if disassembling the chair for transportation is not a good idea for any reason? It would be easiest to get it into our apartment if I take the base off.
Sell it.
Sell the chair and use the money to buy a newer one that you don't mind using. It is a beautiful chair that deserves to be in a collection or a museum. It is kind of weird to think about it in that manner but it is what this chair needs. I have pieces in my collection that I cringe when other people sit in them. You don't want to have to worry about it. I'd say, if you do take it apart, be very very careful. I don't see any harm in taking it apart, but go slow and don't force anything. I'd think transporting it in pieces would be the safest thing to do.
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SDR: Am I right in assuming that you spoke out some critical words regarding the chair?
Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who doesn't like the Eames lounge chair, I find it too clunky, too massively built, no clear lines, simply a baroque monstrosity.
I know, tastes differ, no question, but there is one point which is remarkable to me: I feel always confirmed in my opinion if I look at interior furnishings of customers (I am MCM dealer), very often this lounge chair is to find in apartments where you can see at first view that the owner has no taste at all, only expensive trash and kitsch ... and an Eames lounge chair.
If I'm visiting by contrast an apartment of a customer who has a sophisticated taste at his disposal ... far and wide no Eames lounge chair to see.
Exceptions prove the rule.
And the worst case scenario is to place an Eames lounge chair in a small room.
Sorry this had to be said now, now I'm feeling better! 🙂
Use it
While it is a very nice one, I say use it as it was intended. It is a chair after all. And on some scales not particularly rare either. If it was a one off studio piece I might coddle it, but not a 670. I have seen dozens of these early ones and I think just do the minimum to make it functional ( repair and condition the leather and watch the shock mounts) and enjoy. Seriously, aren't there more important things in life to worry about? And don't you deserve a bad ass throne?
Onno: I am sure you have...
Onno: I am sure you have company in the category of those who do not like Eames lounge chair (my father designed furniture in the 60s and he hates it). I would not go so far as to say I do not like it, but I do think that in SDR's estimation, I am on the side of the yawners.
Yet that does not take away from the fact that this is a very nice specimen, and with spectacular rosewood veneer, which is something I can respect.
Use it or not....
Either way, this is an exquisite example. The grain is beautiful and unique, and the ottoman alone is perfection. I would not change a thing. But I might use it.
That said, I do know what onno is talking about. There are always iconic pieces that people who have no eye whatsoever will feel "safe" owning. The Eames lounger has reached that status, so that is the baggage that naturally comes along with it. The casual participants all want one too now.
It's the same in the art world. People don't look with their eyes. Instead, they READ the name and buy the art (probably because their collector friends own one too)
Many people operate from a position of fear when it comes to visuals.
I would not kick that chair out of bed though! Send it out west, I need a "new" old one! (But Im warning you, I might sit in it)
I personally would keep it....
I personally would keep it. Unlike some of you, I'm an Eames Lounge Chair fanatic. I can't say it's the best structural thing of the century, but other than that, it's perfect in my eyes.
I have a few thoughts on this chair. First is that it may not be as early as 1956 because some claim to have seen 670/671's with 3 screws under arm rests and boot glides produced later than 1956, but not much later. Definitely this is an old chair, but really hard to say how old with certainty unless there's a date stamp. Second, I'd be VERY careful with the zippers because being that old, they may not be able to withstand too much opening and closing anymore, especially if they had been stuck at some time that last few decades. Third, THOROUGHLY check the shock mounts. Remove the cushions; disassemble the panels and arm rest metal plates and inspect the mounts. I'd hate to see anything happen to the beautiful lower back panel should the shock mounts fail. It's probably a good idea to consider replacing the mounts anyway because being close to 60 years old, you just never know and you'll want to be able to relax in it with a peace of mind.
Again, it's a great piece of history and if you have a strong passion for this particular design, I'd definitely keep it and use it (well, maybe only by myself). I'm totally biased, but I guess you didn't get up at 5am with the idea of reselling, right? Either way, congratulations on this great find!
I have another thought on...
I have another thought on the set. I've never seen a set without any kind of labels, stamps, marking, writing, etching, etc, on the wood panels of the 670/671. That's their way of matching the different pieces in the factory. But your panels seem to be free of any kind of marking whatsoever on the panels. Who knows, maybe this is one of those chairs produced even before they started the marking system?
Hey there DJV
Hey there. I think after seeing all the posts here, I realized that the chair needs really special care and attention. When I went out to the sale to look at it, I knew it had awesome shells, but I did not know that it was a 1956 version. This baby probably belongs with someone who can really care for it. Unfortunately, I'm just not at a place in life where I can do that for it right now. I hope I don't regret giving this one up 40 years down the road. . .
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