I am soliciting opinions so any contribution will be appreciated. If you have facts or direct experience of something similar, all the better.
I have a matching pair of armchairs. They are rather rare. I am exchanging the old latex padding which has turned to powder. My question is about the covering.
The chairs are covered in the original material from the 50's or 60's. It has the look of rustic, handwoven wool but this is an impression more than a fact. I am not mad about the color which strikes me as old fashioned. I have considered covering the chairs in leather which I prefer to sit on. But someone told me the chairs would have more value if I kept the original covering. These are stained but otherwise in very good condition. The stains can be drycleaned out w/o problem.
It might help to know which chairs.
But, yes, rare and valuable examples in excellent original condition will nearly always bring a higher return. If future return is your primary reason for acquiring the chairs, then you should keep them as original (and use them as little) as possible.
If, on the other hand, you intend to keep them long-term and use them daily in your home, you should have them professionally recovered in any period-appropriate material you wish and properly store the old upholstery for possible future restoration.
You have hit on a sensitive subject
This is a hotly debated issue within this group and within the design world. Here is my two cents-
There is a condition point where a restoration can either help or hurt the pieces' value. Where that point is, I couldn't tell you. It has to do with that specific piece and the potential buyers for it. For example, I would buy a restored Womb Chair but I would not buy a restored HM shell chair.
It could be that "keeping things original" doesn't have to mean "do nothing". You might be able to replace the fabric with another that is correct for the piece (e.g. color, pattern, material).
No definitive answer
I recently started a similar thread about a dining table I purchased (see milo baughman table thread a few posts below yours)I decided to leave it as is because the condition was really nice.
Without knowing/seeing your chairs it's hard to say, but it seems the general consensus is:
IF the chairs are rare/desirable, and IF they are in really nice original condition, then for resale value, it's best to leave it as is.
or
If the chairs are desirable, but showing ware and IF you're intending on keeping them for the long haul, then you need to do what works best for you. At that point it's a personal preference with no right or wrong answer.
All that said, there are some pieces that are SO RARE that they should only be refinished as an absolute last resort. This is why people are asking for details on what you have.
@ChairLove
What do you consider "a restored HM shell chair", and why wouldn't you buy one? If it's an early chair that's in original condition with all the shock mounts, glides, etc. then I can see the value in leaving it as is. But if it's an early chair in bad condition with broken or missing parts, I don't see the harm in restoring it.
Thanks
I gotten enough input for now. The general indications in the answers have given me enough to go on. The chairs are rare but not precious and have no special provenence. I bought them for my own use and pleasure. I will use them but keep the original covering aside just in case.
BTW I cannot seem to get my FLICKR fotos to load. I have done this many times before but same procedure no longer works. Can someone point me to the instuctions? They are here somewhere but I cannot find them.
Dennis
I agree with you. Sorry, I probably used a bad example. I guess I don't like buying restored shell chairs because I can do the restoration myself. I have restored a shell chair and use it every day. When I got it, the foam was shot, the feet were broken, the mounts were peeling off, and the paint on the legs was chipping. There is nothing wrong with buying a restored chair. I buy shell chairs from time to time, fix a few things, and sell them. I didn't mean to make a negative statement when I said "I would not buy a restored HM shell chair."
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