Thomast
The question of knock-offs is one that arises with some frequency, and it rubs many people the wrong way, for many reasons.
First, many people here have a high appreciation of design, and several are designers themselves. They know firsthand the amount of work, time, and money that is invested in getting a design from the brain to the production line. It's kind of an insult to see someone walk in and undermine all of that work - especially for something as silly as money.
Secondly, there are those of us (myself included) who would argue that the very things that make a design great are the things that are vulgarly cut away when the piece is knocked off. In this case Kjaerholm's design is undeniably tied to his attention to detail. How, then, can you cheapen that attention and still call it a Kjaerholm design? (and believe me - there are reasons why the knock off is 80% cheaper)
Thirdly, there are those of us (myself included) who work in the Design world. Our jobs are supported by design - and again knock-offs undermine those jobs.
As to your questions of quality of knock-offs: How could a teacher grade a plagiarized school paper? Would the teacher grade on the font chosen? On the weight of the paper? On the ink color? No - the teacher would asses the quality of the content, the structure, the theme and the execution. It is these things, not the outward appearance, that make something good.
And FYI - I have seen videos of Fritz Hansen's production lines, and I have several colleagues who have personally toured the facilities. FH quality is nothing short of amazing.
LS, that's not the issue here.
One of the forum members wanted to know the best place to buy a Kjaerholm sofa cheaper than the originals. There was no debate about if that's proper or not, especially when this conversation has been dealt with time and time again.
I think we can give the starter of this thread a break and help with suggestions, rather than getting out the ruler and smashing it on his/her hand.
thomas...
If you take no one else's advice here, at least take heed Patrick's reply(our gracious host). The simplest are often the most pertinent solutions and are therefore often best. Honestly, would you rather have at best some poorly constructed knockoff and at worst a fraud case on your hands in the name of 'classic'? Why not instead opt for something currently authentic which may not wow you here and now but could in time? We would all love to live in Vitra museums. But if you are looking to truly make a smart purchase(as it seems you are), a lesser known or new design is the more cunning option.
where to find pk?
Assuming you will finally look for the original pieces, have a look at the online dealers' offerings or various modern design auctions, also online. There are links to these places off the "links page" of this site.
No, none of these lauditory comments you hear about Fritzhansen are true. Show me a photo of a Danish FH employee working in Denmark on a current production Egg or PK22 and I will give you 500 DKK. (He has to be a craftsman and he has to be holding one of the production pieces.)
Egg: Totally different Egg; conical stem, chubby wings - same for Swan. PK - I already said.
Don't want to focus on the negative. There are a handful of mastercraft shops still in DK, but FH is not one of them, as volume holds priority over integrity of product. Which is totally OK for 95% of buyers. I hope these lines do not die out, so I do wish them well. But that doesn't mean the 5% should regress.
By the way ...
No wonder...
By the way ...
No wonder that there are only horror stories about the repro shops in this forum.
The editor removes links to repro shops.
However the editor has not removed the links that warn about the repro shops. ... did someone say selective censorship? 🙂
Thomas, some of us pay good...
Thomas, some of us pay good money to be able to have our shops banner displayed on the forum. Why should a company who does't pay, and sells fakes at that benefit from the advertising?
I would take the advice already given, and not open a new can of worms!
Selctive Censorship
Patrick and Alix have chosen to reject endorsements and advertisements of knock-offs. To do otherwise would grant them some sort of validity. The reasoning is simple: A knockoff Kjaerholm is NOT a Kjaerholm, any more than a photocopied dollar bill is legal tender.
Call is selective censorship if you will, but the point is clear: deal with knock-offs at your own risk. However, I think the best advice has already been given: find a vintage piece.
Hi, Thomas --
I'm going...
Hi, Thomas --
I'm going to offer my bit on this, hopefully sans proselytizing or seeming like an endorsement for FH or anyone else.
I recently moved cross country in a 22' Penske, loading every single last one of my possessions onto the truck and unloading them as well -- by myself, because I was too proud (foolish?) to ask for help and too cautious to pay for some grunts. This experience, grueling though it was, (think, hallucination from exhaustion) put me uniquely in touch with myself and my belongings. My stance is this: any of the things that I pay to house, lug, insure, upkeep, etc., had better be damn well worth the grief, let alone the liability to my total mobility, otherwise, it is nothing more than an impediment and a burden.
To be fair, I do detect a very silly chivas regal thing going on with the PK line, (it does get comical, these price jumps from year to year), but at the same time, those replicas you refer to are almost entirely lovelessly crafted, by dubious chattel labor, and targeted at the lower end consumer bent on instant gratification. Don't be that guy.
This forum is a bit of an amen corner for purists, so you have to expect a backlash to any inquiry into second or third bests. Everyone means well, I think, and it is not snobbery that compels the folks here.
Good luck
POUL KJAERHOLM PK-31 LOUNGE SUITE
Look at mine on 1stdibs.com -- http://www.highlandpark.1stdibs.com/store/furniture_item_detail.php?id=3...
Sincerely,
Eve Kelly Herman
Highland Park
FH only acquired the rights...
FH only acquired the rights to the classic Kjearholm works long after their "era". The same goes for the Prouvé collection by Vitra to name one. Licensed and original do not necessarily mean the same. In that respect I appreciate the Modernica Eames shells eventhough they're not environmentally friendly. The other Modernica works like the Wegner knock-offs are nothing less than a disgrace. PP Mobler is the original manufacturer and still makes these masterworks in the same manner as fifty years ago with all quality aspects to it.
The difference between licensed and original is also illustrated by the fact that manufacturers regularly modify the designs or production techniques to today's standards which is not necessarily a bad thing but which raises purist's eyebrows nonetheless.
As a purist I wouldn't advise anyone to buy even licensed products from manufacturers who originally were not in the picture (There are exceptions, for example the PK0 which never went in production before FH decided to give it a go). Apart from the discussion whether the quality is worth the money, they're just not a good investment. I'm not saying this should be your first prioriy, but paying 3.500 euro for a FH PK22 is silly as you'll lose at least half of you money if you ever need to get rid of it. The same money or even less buys you a great vintage Kold Christensen.
Regarding the quality I suspect that in many cases contemporary licensed products will not stand the test of time. For example the wood veneer of a current FH 7 series chair is a fraction of the original. The leather on most Eames lounge chairs will never have the patina that the 60s and 70s chairs have.
One last advise: if you can't afford it, don't buy it. Knock-offs are not your way out. You'll feel cheated before you know it.
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