Vintage Herman Miller Rosewood Eames Lounge Chair - Can I repair this sacrilege? Hopefully some experts can help me with this sad sight... SACRILEGE! Definition: Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object. (I can think of no better way to describe the treatment of this wonderful design classic) At least it was WELL loved and not just a decoration! Just purchased this vintage Herman Miller example of an Eames Lounge Chair in Rosewood on ebay uk. The seller did not mention any of the damage to the rosewood, shock mounts, etc...etc... Upon collecting, I was horrified and said I could not go ahead with the deal as all these defects were not mentioned at all! Luckily the seller was leaving the country in a few hours at 6am, so we agreed a price at £500 off my winning bid of £720. All that was pictured as damage was the leather cushions which I was prepared to source and replace - preferably vintage ones and I have already bought a good vintage headrest. The damage that I can see is as follows: 1/ needs a complete set of cushions - vintage or new or re-upholstery? 2/ Rosewood shell needs re-finishing 3/ In the past the armrest shock mounts have failed, as so many did in the past, they drilled holes under the armrests and bolted them on. This has caused chipping to the veneer and one side has a crack through the wood and has made it a weak spot. 4/ x2 domes of silence glides are missing 5/ Base is missing 1 bolt where it attaches to the underside of the chair 6/ The top edge of the top headrest panel has major wear to the edge - most likely from rubbing repeatedly against a wall over the years and has worn it down. Its no longer a nice square edge! Now my questions are, considering what I paid - not much. Is it worth having restored and will it be cost effective? Do I need to replace the lower backrest panel instead of repairing as the wood has cracked and is weak, or can this be repaired? Do I need to replace the top headrest wood panel as it has a heavily worn top egde, or can this to be repaired, filled and shaped with the grains "re-drawn" in? Have had this done to a rosewood table top before with amazing results, just not an edge like this! The rest is simple - either have the leather re-upholstered by a good professional leather upholsterer or replace with brand new, or pref vintage examples over time when I can find them? The glides are not a problem nor are the screws... Any help would be greatly appreciated and any recommendations of anybody that works on these chairs would be fantastic. I am in the United Kingdom - London Thanks design addicts!
It will be a labour of love...
I can have all the panels re-finished for approx £150 or so, not including repairs which based on previous restorations would probably be around £30 - £60 each respectively.
I just dont want to end up paying way over the odds of what a good clean example would cost in good condition.
I can buy a good one for £1550 without the ottoman.
I still need to source a good vintage ottoman for this one - actually missed one on ebay for £400 shipped from USA!
Gutted as it was a good grain match!
Oh well, just have to keep looking...
my 2 cent
This would be a huge restoration project! As you said yourself the veneer needs a lot of work and the parts where it chipped off will always be visible. If you want to get rid of the screws that were drilled through the plywood and shockmounts you'll have 4 more visible repairs. Judging from the second picture the shockmounts sagged, so you'll have to replace at least the two on the lower shell anyway. Hume charges ca 120$ for the pair, but you should consider Graham Mancha in the UK. He sells shockmounts (as well as the glides) and I think he also installs them but I don't know the price. Placing and glueing shockmounts correctly is crucial so you might want to have it done by an experienced professional.
The cushions are another thing, though the 2 small ones could be rescued. I recently saw a complete set on ebay that sold for over 1000? without the armrests. Professional reupholstery won't be any cheaper; consider that you'll need new fillings as well.
Your desire to save this chair is honorable, but financially it might be more rational to buy the other on for 1550£ if it's in good condition.
anyone else?
good luck
knowing how the price of the eames lounge chair is going up lately, it would be difficult to get parts to fix your chair. Because that's the only solution I can find, get new parts but when you see just a set of wood panels that go for $1000, an armrest being sold for almost $300, good luck.
Maybe?
Wow, that chair has seen quite a bit of use!
I think your biggest hurdles are going to be the pads and the one "ear" where the plywood has actually split. The rest of the flaws with the panels can be fixed, and to a very reasonable state. If you let me know your email address I can show you some before and afters of my chair; it had some work done on it recently. (Note: I'm not trying to advertise anyone, and this is why I haven't specified any more details).
But the cushions are going to be the lions share of the cost, I would think. A new set from Herman Miller is a lot of money, if I remember correctly. And the vintage ones seem to be going up, up, up in price. Not to mention, it will be hard to match cushions piece meal, with all the different types of leathers, different vintages, wear patterns, etc etc.
Regardless good luck!
Thanks for all your replies...
To everyone that has replied thus far, thank you all for your comments!
I understand that this is a particularly big undertaking and some may be sceptical about the end result vs the money spent.
I have used an amazing restorer in the past and he is amazing at invisible repairs!
Another consideration may be to have the damage repaired and then all panels re-veneered in rosewood as you can still get some stunning rosewood veneers? Will look into this...
Claus: Good observation regarding the sagging, luckily this isnt the shock mount but rather the drilled hole has become a bit bigger probably due to the chair being picked up at the arms resulting in the back no longer being held at the correct angle.
All shock mounts seem to be fine, but I may, just as a matter of course replace as many as possible. I have seen some for the arms for $25 each on ebay.com, they are not original, but they claim to be better? Opinions?
Small world, I have used Graham Mancha before to source some Eames parts for a table I was fixing up, so will get in touch with him and see what he has to say.
Olive: I certainly agree with you, sometimes no matter how lovely a piece is, sometimes it just has to go...
Saying that, I find it hard to belive that anybody would just be able to throw an amazing chair like this away. I certainly cannot. I have wanted one for as long as I can remember and if done well, I feel that the repairs can be 95% - 99% invisible to the average Joe.
I have no interest in selling the chair, it would be for my enjoyment only. If one day in say 20 years, I decided to sell for whatever reason, I think losing a little bit of money would be totally acceptable as I got a good 20 years out of it and enjoyed every minute! Just like a car really. I do feel that it should suffer to much though if done to a very high standard.
I agree that the cushions will be the bulk of the expense and that matching may prove tricky due to age, leather, finish, etc... still working on this one. I have just bought an excellent condition vintage headrest cushion to start with, I just dont fancy the new matt finish versions on a vintage chair as the came with down filled cushions with a bit of a shine...
Pegboard: Thank you for your words of encouragement! I believe this to and feel that I have the right contacts to have it repaired to the highest of standards at very reasonable rates. Just need to sort the cushion issue out.
Continued...
continued...
mjf451:
Great to hear and I would love to see how yours came out and the state it was in before.
My email is: saintj79 at gmail dot com
Once again thank you all for taking the time so far and welcome any further comments, opinions, etc... I love design addict and this is what it is all about, different versions and opinions, fact and fiction. Every single contribution, good or bad, has meaning here, as it helps us get to the end result.
One more thing before I sign off today...
I accept the challenge!
I will endevour to save this lovely chair to my best ability and hopefully under budget!
As time progresses, I will update the thread with pictures and details for all of you to see.
Jinx
Hey,Jinx-they restore old cars,don't they?
In fact,I have a friend who procures totalled automobile wrecks from salvage auctions and restores them to minty perfection.(You should see the 2006 Audi S4 he recently restored!)I should think a fine,rare piece of vintage MCM furniture can be similarly resurrected,and in many ways,more easily than an entire car.Why pay $4K for a commonplace new Eames lounge chair? Devoid of soul, character,and no patina! This example has incredible grained Brazilian Rosewood,not to mention the original goose down cushions.Half the battle is finding a capable restorer,and it looks like you know one,so go for it.Keep us posted,won't you?
Give Graham Mancha a call....
Give Graham Mancha a call. IF you decide to restore it then go to someone who knows what they are doing with these chairs. A bad/cheap shockmount repair job will fail sharpish.
My advice is to not bother, sell the chair and buy a nice example. I have had many of these chairs, one was a wreck - I ended up spending £1500+ on it and it still wasn't a great example. People will pay silly money on eBay for a wrecked chair, if it was me and I would sell it on and look elsewhere. I was watching this chair on eBay but didn't go for it as A) A lot of people on there don't seem very honest, maybe out of choice or maybe by ignorance, and B) Due to the above, it's just too much hassle sorting these in this condition.
Live and learn...
I've taken the plunge...
Hi all, just to let you know that all the words of encouragement (and discouragement), have spurred me on in taking the plunge on restoring this beautiful chair.
The restorer is charging only £250 to repair and refinish the chair, including fitting new shock mounts that I have supplied.
Not bad...
He has gone through what he will be doing, including adding actual splices of rosewood to the repair points to hide the repair and blend in the grain further by "drawing" it in.
I received my 1st replacement cushion from the states today. $175 for the headrest. Unfortunately it is slightly newer, still 70's vintage with the glossy finish, but foam filled and not completely perforated on the stiff backing like the originals.
Does anybody know when they stopped using the down feather filled cushions?
Just trying to date it if possible?
Still waiting for my vintage replacement seat cushion, vintage rosewood ottoman with cushion, new glides and armrests. In total I will have spent approx £1700 to have this beauty fully repaired and restored as well as adding a rosewood ottoman - which was rather pricey!
If all fails, I have a complete set of light cherry shells by Herman Miller as spares or to make up a new chair?
Perhaps I could put together a cherry chair as I have a source for all the hardware like mounts, glides, bases, etc... that are reasonably inexpensive to buy and use the old ripped cushions and have them upholstered in a funky retro fabric of sorts, or would that be sacrilage on my part??
Opinions please?
Thanks again for everyones help, knowledge and input.
Will keep you informed and post photos upon completion.
I love the site!
Jinx
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