A few days ago, a really well-made documentary went online that might be of interest to some of you. It’s a 30-minute film about the restoration of an Eames Lounge Chair. The restorer featured is one of the most renowned specialists for these chairs in Europe.
The film follows him as he repairs broken plywood and damaged shock mounts, sews new cushions, and brings others back to life. It was produced for German television, so the audio is in German — but YouTube nowadays offers auto-generated subtitles or even those wonderfully awful translations.
Since questions about restoring Eames Lounge Chairs come up from time to time, this documentary might answer a few of them.
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
Worthwhile and informative watch, thanks for posting link!
Highlights:
Total restoration of (Vitra?) ca. mid-1970's ES670/671.
Well-engineered and meticulously executed structural repair to seat panel and replacement of pesky shock mounts.
Amazingly organized and well-equipped workshop.
Similarly expert upholstery demonstration and of extensive refinishing process.
Lowlight:
Cost of restoration. This set meant more to someone than just old furniture. A lot more.
Thank you for your thoughts. I’m glad you also found the documentation worth watching. I’m definitely not an expert in this field—neither in Eames furniture nor in restoration—so it doesn’t take much to impress me. But if you think real experts are involved, that really means something.
As for the cost of the repair—yes, that’s probably true. In the end though, haven’t we all spent an unreasonable amount just to catch a glimpse of good design out of the corner of our eye in the living room?
I know I’m guilty, at least.
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
Depending on the offense, guilt is mostly a useless emotion, IMO. Admit it, make amends, and move on. But I am certainly guilty of overspending time tracking down objects of desire offered at prices that fit my budget (which, often enough, means "restoration required" - which in turn provided opportunities to research and hone best-practice skills). It took me probably 5 or 6 years of dogging an Eames lounge set before one suddenly appeared out of the ether like some kind of miracle somehow meant to be. Similar has happened with a few other of my favorite things. I guess the hunt must heighten the allure in a way.
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