I'm new at this so please have pity if any of this is unusually stupid....
A few weeks ago I answered a Craigslist ad and went to see a sofa, which I did not end up liking. But the seller also had some dining chairs, which I loved. He said were Moller chairs from around 1970, and he wanted $500 for four. The cord seats were shot, and he told me it would cost "only" around $200 a chair to re-weave them, which pushed them to $325 each, out of my budget.
The chairs remained in my mind so I started to poke around a little and discovered to my dismay via this forum that I could've bought them and re-woven them myself. Dang! I am handy, why didn't that occur to me?
Anyway, so here's my question: how easy is it to find Moller chairs (or similar quality Danish chairs) in bad condition which one can re-do, and what would be realistic to expect to spend? Was that some amazing bargain that I will never find again, or was it a normal price for ones that are not usable as is?
The ones I didn't buy were (I believe) model 71, but I also seem to like more or less all the other models I've seen,
Thank you!
Great, thanks for the encoura...
Great, thanks for the encouragement... and you're the one who gave the brilliant re-weaving advice on the other thread, which I look forward to following. I will try to be patient, but I must say my hands are now itching to weave!
I've noticed that some of the chairs of that same model appear different. Some seem to have more rounded backs (I like these ones better). Is this just a difference in the photos, or is it because they are of different times? The wood looks thicker.
There are a bunch of different Møller designs,
and the 75/56 is similar to yours. I have these and I love them---to each her own! The backs are thick, solid wood, very simple and handsome.
Check out all the different models at the link below.
http://www.danish-design.com/manufacturers/mol/
Yes, I had the feeling it...
Yes, I had the feeling it was harder to find Danish and mid-century furniture these days, because I actually sold some ugly mid-century stuff I'd picked up over the years that I just no longer like... and I was surprised how much people wanted to pay me for it, seemingly just because it was from the 70's.
Oh well. I'll be patient.
Thanks for the link, Spanky!
Be patient.
If in no hurry they will appear. I'm patient and will find a set eventually. I'm in no hurry at all. I have a set of these. Hans Wegner. The back snapped off one of them last year but was easily repaired. Broke at the dowel. Another snapped last week and split down the back. Not easily repaired. Using some old Emeco's right now in their place. Clearly i need strong chairs.
The thread you found is one of the best here. I'm looking forward to repairing a set also.
Maybe Jesgord can keep an eye out for a set. ; )
(Not this coming week...I only have a quarter tank of fuel left.)
http://www.theswankyabode.com/80572.html
agree you didn't miss out and info on cost/time weaving new
at $500 for 4 -- if the chairs (minus the cord) are in excellent shape -- the price isn't terrible. but also probably as much as you'd need to spend. I bought my set of 8 Moller 71's (all original with hooks in place) for $800 and they were in very good condition and needed to have cord replaced (i posted pics previously -- 6 natural, 2 black). As for cost of re-weaving, i'm in NYC and found that i could have them redone for anywhere from $94 (a place in CT) to $150 per chair. There are a lot of independent weavers out there who price in this range. Schedules and time are a key issue (can take a few weeks to months, depending on their queue and how many chairs you do). The prices include materials, but typically they will charge an additional $15 if they need to install new hooks. Anyone who quotes more than $150 per chair (and i had some say $250-$400!) is over charging relative to the market by a lot, in my opinion. As for doing it yourself, i think it takes about 6-8 hours to do one chair IF you are experienced. It's time consuming and something you want done well. Perhaps fun to try one yourself and see though. As for cost of the cord, should be approx $10 per chair i think (which is always included in the price of re-weaving -- so if you provide the cord, they should deduct their cost of that from their price).
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