That price IS startling.
I couldn't dream of buying new Knoll (even with the 10% discount), but I'll never again resent their prices, because they were so friendly and helpful recently, when I contacted them for a couple of small doohickeys to repair my secondhand tulip chairs. They mailed them to me, gratis.
Flawless products, flawless manners.
i dont think it would ...
i dont think it would be any problem for us to make those pads using maharam fabric, each chair pad front and back will take a yard of fabric and foam, at $25 a yard, and $125.00 to put it together, so our price with fabric $150.00
If you can get them cheaper and good quality i would grab them . you pay for what you get!!!!!
Cushions
I have 10 Tulip Saarinen chairs and need to replace some of the cushions.
Six that I bought already had original cushions but four were badly cracked and damaged. Two are in perfect condition. Four have been re-done and are not comfortable. I realized that the True Knoll Saarinen cushions are nice and firm. My re-done ones are very soft and when sitting at the table you feel as if you are closer to the floor than the table top! I am saving to have the real deal and now know that I can get them at a discount!!! COOL!!!!! ~L (it's something about the Knoll foam pads that make a real difference!)
I believe that Knoll has
their annual 10% off sale in May.
Similarly, I have a pair of (probably) real Bertoia side chairs in sunshine yellow and I bought a pair of crummy fake-o pads that weren't the right color and they were flat and terrible (good for outside weather tho).
I bought the real yellow vinyl seat pads when Knoll had their sale last year and they're just plain beautifully made.
So, I guess quality is quality and if your Saarinen chairs are otherwise perfect, then I'd spend the dough....and remember....their hopsack wool in orange, red, yellow or blue looks beautiful!
it's latex foam
They use latex foam, which is very different in feel from polyfoam---more resilient and dense. It costs more and is harder to find locally for DIYers.
I would attempt to make cushions before paying $270 each for them. I have the good fortune to live near a fabric mill outlet that has tons of Knoll fabrics for under $10 a yard---1-2 yard remnants are $2 each! And I've done a lot of shaping of foam with scissors and serrated knives.
Foamorder.com sells latex foam slabs if anyone's really interested in doing this.
fabric outlet with lots of Knoll
They're in LeMoyne, PA which is right outside Harrisburg (scene of infamous nuclear reactor meltdown way back when).
I didn't realize how much Knoll fabric they had until I really studied the Knoll website textiles pages. They also have some other good fabrics but Knoll seems to predominate.
http://www.pafabric.com/
let me preface i do not ne...
let me preface i do not need work from any one , but what i just read was just plain bull crap, and i very rarely make comments like that.
We make pads every day for eames wire
chairs, Bertoias, all kinds of chairs,boats, cars, you name it,
You all are making a big deal out of nothing, We buy foam, poly, fabric from the same vendors, Knoll, Herman Miller, Fritz Hansen, and many others do,
We get the pattern from the customer, they want it just like they send it in, not our own verson, other wise we would not stay open,
So to wait for the Knoll 10 percent sale to get your pads is as stupid as could be, one of the dumber statements that i have read, for g-d sake take your pattern to an experience shop and
tell them what you want, and stop yacking, Any one with a sewing machine and access to good foam and poly can make them ....
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