I've seen the closeups of...
I've seen the closeups of the eggs in those establishments, and they are fakes -- bad fakes, too, thought that might strike some as redundant.
For starters, there are seams in the crooks -- a typical sign of corner cutting. Also, the 'horns' of the egg are a bit stubby looking. The flow is off.
Now, the question is: just because a design becomes ubiquitous, does it sap the magic from it? I for one, don't think so -- unless the design was too weak to sustain repeated exposure to begin with. It is sometimes a testament to its undeniable almost universal appeal -- which is rather heartwarming, in a weird sort of way. The wow factor of something like the egg has always depended on the textile used to upholster it and the surroundings it is housed in. The more natural it looks to it's surroundings, the less glaring and designy...like the McDonalds, where it just seems crude and 'just because.' Looks bad, to me. But don't take it out on Arne.
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Lately I've seen bad repros popping up in second rate real estate agents (aren't they all second rate?) and hairdressers, I kinda agree with finch it doesn't harm the image of the original but it does make the people who furnish their business with them look ridiculous and desperate.
Some are
Some of the Egg, Swan, & Seven chairs are authentic. Fritz Hansen stopped shipment, but were not able to tell McD not to use already purchased furniture.
I disagree about the branding issue. Fritz Hansen doesnt only sell furniture -they sell image. Having a swan chair or an egg chair projects a certain image, usually of high quality, good craft, and appreciation of design. Now, if you invest in that image and all of a sudden that image is turning up at McDonalds you are effectively being associated WITH McDonalds. McD did a huge service to Fritz Hansen by installing the counterfeits. Why would I, as a Fritz Hansen client, spend 6k on the same chair at my local MacDonalds?
I dunno. Depends on how...
I dunno. Depends on how susceptible to association you are -- if someone you deeply admired started endorsing a product you found totally objectionable; would you then second guess your feelings/sensibilities regarding said product?
Fact is, nothing is sacred. McDonalds could ruin ANY piece of design by association, simply because they have more money than God. It sucks, but the chair is unwitting in the matter! A victim of circumstance, if you will. For instance, I saw Anne Coulter in a photograph once, posing on a Barcelona chair, and I still think of those chairs as a benchmark, unkillable by association, no matter how sleazy or lowbrow.
Like anyone would...
Like anyone would EVER consider McDonalds to be more a more upper-scale eatery. They're a freakin' cheap fast-food restaurant with sucky food. No amount of 'cool' furniture is going to make McDonalds a 'cool, happenin' place to eat. People are not that gullible. McDonalds should keep their cheap seats and spend their money more wisely...like paying their staff more. Then maybe (probably not but maybe) they could get some decent workers. You get what you pay for.
I used to like...
I used to like Tom Cruise movies until he got very public about Scientology. And I used to like Target until I saw how much they are invested in knock-offs.
On the other hand, I would LOVE to see McDonalds start decorating colonial American. Or even better: high Sotsass Memphis style! At least then there would be something interesting about the company.
Fair point, Lucifer, but...
Fair point, Lucifer, but you've inverted my analogy:
I meant to say, if Tom Cruise, someone you like, began endorsing a product that you didn't like, in this case Scientology, would you then second guess your feelings based upon their association? And if so, to what degree? The Egg chairs don't make you feel any better about McDonald's, but McDonald's has made you feel bad about the Egg chairs through association. And I don't think it should.
I think. Now I'm confused...
In short, it's a downer, but the chair is no less a wonder, after all. Believe me, the idea of McDonald's employees lifting the cushions and sweeping french fry and other fast food detritus from the crannies is an unnerving mental imagery...but the design is stout enough to prevail even the grossest association. At least it should be. And again, McDonald's could do it with any design they fancied. Tomorrow it could be the Sonic Burger with Kjaerholm knockoffs or Bauhaus lamps in the Tire Kingdom.
You gotta trust in your sensibilities.
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