My turn: Who Designed My Chair?  

not vintage but still great
HI this is not Van Keppel but very similar it is actually the PIer 1 Mombasa chair from 91-92 which was reissued last year with a different caning pattern (not as nice). I have one and wish I had bought more. They are fantastic who cares if they are not original

I have the same chair
Two, actually. Both are slightly damaged from prolonged outdoor exposure. Does anyone know how to treat, repair, replace etc the cracking and loosening weave of the material (caning? wicker? rattan? what IS this called anyway?!)

shpadoynkle
Get a copy of The Caner's Handbook (available on Amazon) for help in repairing or redoing your chair. I think these are woven with "round reed", though they could be rattan, I can't really tell from the photo. But I've seen similar chairs done with round reed.
Rattan is flat on the underside and slightly rounded on the top side---stripped from the outside of bamboo stalks so it has the natural glossy finish with ridged joints every so often.
Round reed is the product of some other reedy plant and is round in profile (obviously) and comes in a bunch of diameters.
Both have to be soaked in water to soften them up for weaving. To repair existing weaves, you simply pull out the broken strands and weave the new ones in with the ends on the underside (which would be hard to do on these chairs where you can see the backs). The book probably addresses how to do this neatly. I did a bunch of repair on an antique wicker chair with round reed many, many years ago but that was a different kind of deal than your chairs.
Chances are if some of the reed is failing from exposure to the elements, it's probably all rather dry and brittle and might need replacing sooner rather than later. I would get a copy of the book and see if it's something you can tackle. I think it's probably simple to do (though maybe tedious)--the only tricky thing being how to deal with the ends because the round reed isn't a continuous length. The strands are maybe 12' max.
http://www.franksupply.com/caning/rush-and-supplies.html#seagrass

Thanks so much for all the info
and the link - very helpful!

I have a Pier One chair as well as a vintage chair.
I found a chair just like the photo from this post and thought it was a Van Keppel Green chair. Then I found this post and read about the Pier One Mombasa chair.
I purchased two of the Mombasa Pier One chairs from Craigslist. There are some differences. Most noticeable is the finish.
The older chair has a wrought iron frame and the Pier One has a speckled lacquer top coat. The feet are different as well.
Cain Modern on 1st Dibs has this chair listed as a "Hendrick Van Keppel and Taylor Green Wicker Chair" for $1,400
I would like to know for sure who designed/manufactured the original chair.
Thanks,
DjL

WTB
I had two of these that I bought from Pier ONe but gave away. I could kick myself. Please let me know if you find a way to get more of these. Thank you, Alexandra

Where are you located?
Hi,
I might be putting one of my chairs on eBay when we move. I'm in Jersey (US). Are you close?
DjL

not close... but might pay to ship
I'm in california! ouch, couldn't be further. Shipping is not out of the question though if they are in good condition.

HI DJ is the vintage one...
HI DJ is the vintage one exactly the same except for the finish really interesting = Did pier 1 rip it off exactly?

I'd like to buy your chairs - do you still have??
Hi DjL - I am interested in buying your VKG chairs. Do you still have and are you interested in selling? I am on the east coast and close to NJ. Please let me know if they're still in your possession and if you have interest in selling or talking. Thank you! marypatrick444 at gmail.com