I wrote up a short review with pics of our new dining table which can be found here:
http://wayne-egan.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-kitchen-table.html
We're considering the new Herman Miller plastic side shells on eiffel bases for a complete chair set. I have some HM shell color swatches ordered - considering light blue or lime green. I have read mixed reviews on the new shells thus far, so any first hand experiences with these would be appreciated.
Another option would be to round out the current set of 1006s which are sturdy and comfortable, but have a high "clang" factor during the seating process.
I have a number of vintage fiberglass side shells in various colors and have considered putting together a full set. The issues with this option are potential shockmount breaks/repairs and which reproduction eiffel base to use.
Thanks for any input or suggestions.
wayne
Hi
I use a white polypropylene shell chair as a desk chair. I find it very comfortable and have had no problems over several years. The current HM/Vitra Eiffel bases are made of thicker rods than the vintage ones.
My suggestion would be to use what you have. Keep the four Emeco chairs (if you like them) and add some shell chairs (vintage or new). If the shock mounts are in good condition and securely attached, they should last for a while. If they do fall off eventually, it is a fairly simple repair.
Thanks for your..
positive review of the HM poly side shell. Good to know the new Eiffel bases are stouter than the originals. I am leaning this direction for a new set.
Because of my OCD, I could not handle a mixed and unmatched set - I do have another use for the Emeco's, so they will still be around.
The OCD must not be too...
The OCD must not be too strong, since the two pendants aren't equidistant from the center of the table.
I'd have only two concerns about the shells:
1. Is the seat height great enough? It's hard to tell for sure from your photos, but it looks as though the shells might be a little lower than the Emeco chairs. Side-chair height is usually a little lower than dining-chair height; if the eiffel bases put the seat lower than 18 inches, your guests may find the seating position unusual.
2. When Eero Saarinen said that he developed the tulip base to "clear up the slum of legs" under typical chairs and tables, he was talking about 4 legs each; the eiffel chairs have 20! You say on your blog that you chose the table because of its "visually light" base. Are you sure that you now want to surround it with 160 wire chair-leg segments pointing in all directions? You might want to group a few eiffel chairs together and see whether the mass of bent wire legs looks too messy.
Good observation...
Yes, the table gets moved every couple days so the cork flooring doesn't develop permanent indentations from the legs. I moved it back to center.
The vintage side shells I have come in at just under 17" seating height due to the reproduction base I have used, so I don't think these are the best long term solution. The new HM shells (Both DSR and DSW) are advertised at 17.5" and the 1006 is 18" so they should be close.
I brought up my other side shells to get a group photo with the table.
What do you think? To me, the chair bases have the same lightness as the table base due to the use of stronger and thinner material. Also, this doesn't seem cluttered or too busy to me. Admittedly, the 1006 chairs have a cleaner look with the straight legs and squarish form.
But now it's not centered on the windows!
Yikes!
But back to the topic... I think the chairs look fine in your photo, but of course you've only populated one side of the table. Try it again with those five chairs clustered at one end -- one at the head and two on each side -- and make sure that the arrangement still looks uncluttered, especially from angles other than the one from which your photo was taken.
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