Just picked up two Eames armshell chairs that are a bit of a mystery to me, they are a bright blue color that I don't think I've seen before, the fibers are barely visible (much like the more common bright orange chairs) and have clearly never had any shock mounts applied. Aditionally, they have a few other marks, some of which I feel like I've seen before and others which are less familiar. They have the typical Herman Miller stamped logo and name, and an "s" in a circle. The marks I don't remember seeing before are a backwards "N" to the right of the regular logo, two small interlocking triangles above the regular logo, and a number one or letter "I" at the top of the rear part of the chair. Any ideas on why these would have left the factory without shock mounts? Markings mean anything to anyone? Last, a guess on date? I'm thinking mid '70s to mid '80s? Thanks
<img class="wpforo-default-image-attach
The color is called Medium Blue....
The double triangles and encirlced "S" are the factory marks of Summit Polymers, one of a few companies that Herman Miller subcontracted the production of their fiberglass shells.
The smaller fibers are actually typical of Summit production (if you've ever seen the Alexander Girard designed La Fonda shells, the fiberglass is similar). Zenith Plastics produced shells always had the thickest fibers. The Cincinnati Milicron shells are somewhere in the middle. Why no shockmounts? Who knows, maybe they are factory seconds/rejects and never made it to the shockmount application stage.
We've discussed this at length in previous threads, click the link below:
http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/th...
If you need any help, please contact us at – info@designaddict.com