OK, I sympathize with most of the anti-knockoff sentiments expressed here, but I find myself in need of that Womb-chair shape, and price puts an "original" out of reach. I don't intend to pass it off as anything other than a copy. Can anyone share experiences with the service, fit and finish, materials, etc. offered by a company called Paradigm? Link shown below. Thanks.
Personally I wouldn't.
With all of the talk about the sagging problems with the Womb Settee (which is not in production and no one is knockong it off), I get the sense that none of the Womb chair knockoffs would be made as well as Knoll's original.
There's 3 or 4 of them on eBay right now, and I think you can score one at a reasonable price. No point buying the chair without the ottoman, and this knockoff's price is high enough that I think you can find a real one.
DIFFERENCES:REAL VS: REPRO WOMB- HOW CAN YOU TELL?
Recently,there was a very useful thread about how to spot a fake Eames lounge/ottoman.Very enlightening! Can anybody point out the differences in the real Knoll Womb vs the somewhat ubiquitous repros? Are there actually cushion retaining tabs/hooks in the fakes??
Yeah, I'd definitely buy a...
Yeah, I'd definitely buy a real one on ebay over a repro in the retail market. The prices aren't too dissimilar (the repro might end up costing more, and you can't recoup your investment if you end up selling it). There's a basically brand new Knoll one on ebay right now that looks really nice (see link)...
http://cgi.ebay.com/SAARINEN-WOMB-CHAIR-OTTOMAN-BY-KNOLL-NO-RESERVE_W0QQ...
Why isn't Knoll getting aggressive
with these knockoffs?
To knockoff a wall clock is one thing, but a chair that has to last and hold your weight is another matter.
I would only buy real furniture made by the copyright holders.
If you do the knockoffs and your chair falls apart, you'd have no one to blame.
Experience the real thing in...
Experience the real thing in a knoll showroom, or modern furniture show. The leg tips are a dead giveaway. The legs should be solid barstock. The welds on the base are probably a clue. The stiching and shape of the foam are another big deal. The original chair shell has a consistent 1.0" thick foam under the fabric. Note the seams, and edges, and if hand stitching is done, etc...
Buy a second hand knoll, or a real one. They are still lower priced than swan chairs, Eames lounge chairs, and some others.
good luck
Outside of other people...
Outside of other people here, I'm speaking from experience. I have a Womb chair from Paradigm Gallery and frankly, I LOVE IT!
Now, keep in mind that I bought this chair when the price was only $895, but in any event, it's a really well done reproduction. The weight is identical to the original and I never feel like the Womb chair will collapse because my 200lbs is sitting on it.
Main diffs: fabric isn't boucle, shell of chair isn't fiberglass, but plastic.
The wait is usually 8-12 weeks, but that's the case for a lot of modern classics as well. Luckily, they were stocked when I wanted mine, so I got it in 2 weeks.
Call them. They're a great company to work with. I have a Womb chair from them, 4 Barcelona chairs, and a Corbu LC10 repro. Very friendly and honest reproduction retailer in a market riddled with losers.
I know
I know we've been through this a million times, but it still irks me when someone applies the term "honest" to a knock-off dealer. The inherent act of selling knock-offs is dishonest. It is profit from someone elses labor, someone elses intellectual property, and from the designer branding. Look at Paradigms webpage and ask yourself if you would buy ANYthing from them if they didnt carry knock-offs. By selling knock-offs Paradigm steals not only the intellectual property of the originals, but any marketing and PR/branding that the authentic manufacturer has invested in.
Incidentally - while the weight may be the same, PGMod's womb chair has effed up legs and feet, and the proportions are noticably off on the foot stool.
Good points. It's the nature...
Good points. It's the nature of the market and the fault of the authorized companies who hold the rights. They haven't made the originals available to everyone and this is what happens.
We could debate this forever, but furniture is one category where people simply aren't so brand conscious. It doesn't need Knoll or Herman Miller badging to be accepted by the up and coming 20 something living in her 400 sq/ft studio in NYC who can't afford the real Womb chair.
The legs on the Womb are different and don't articulate, but they are just legs. Also, I read somewhere that reproduction companies had to alter some dimensions to bypass copyright issues. Maybe that's why the proportions of the ottoman are different.
This assumes 'everyone' is in...
This assumes 'everyone' is interested, which is sadly not the case.
A design like the Womb chair just isn't accessible to to everyone, and I think the steep price of it and other furniture like it reflects the small but passionate demand these chairs have, compared to warehouse furniture. It's not just the sum of its parts and labor - it lacks what in economics is called a "critical mass" and so you pay a little or a lot more than you would if it were available at Target.
For some, there's an appeal to this exclusivity, but a part of me feels like if a design is truly stout in its concept and execution, then you should not be able to help yourself loving it, no matter the association, or price, or accessibility.
i never see the womb cha...
i never see the womb chair replicas
only originals
but i was in Saks fifth ave in Dallas in the mens dept and saw a fake egg chair with the cheapest nylon fabric on it, to say the least it looked like shit!!!
I looked under the chair like a idiot to see if there was a Fritz Hansen ,
I knew it was a fake a mile away
but Hansen did change to a shiny base last year so i was a checking but this was awful,
Frankly why would Saks put a cheap fake in the store?
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