Hrrmmmm
You've got a tough set of circumstances here. Great chair, no money, not handy. The leather is easy enough to obtain - kyson leather on ebay is fantastic, as per Spanky's recommendation.
If your chair is not an actual Eames chair, but a plycraft/selig reproduction it will actually be easier to redo. There is a great post previously on DA about how to restore the reproductions.
However, if you are fortunate enough to have found a real Eames 670 (for only 65$) than you've got a long road ahead of you. In my opinion, the hardest part is going to be the actual reupholstery. The cusions are rather complex.
If you can give some more details about the condition of the chair perhaps we can offer more suggestions.
thanks, lucifersum!
Yeah, story of my life: good taste, no $, not handy. Mr. Wonderful was supposed to make an appearance in my life by now- compensating for some of my deficiencies, but that hasn't happened...(and this isn't the forum for that sort of thing)
Anyhoo, to get back to biz: the WORST part of the chair are these horrible frankenstein-like bolts (about 5 on each side)that someone used to prop up/fix the armrests on each side. They are really, really hideous.I can live w/the blue leather (?)- in fact I kind of like it- but I'd really like to fix the chair structurally. Do I need genuine Herman Miller parts to fix? The cushions can wait.
Yup, the chair is real. Still has the tags. But now I see the $ flying out the door as I try to restore it to its former glory...
I'm not complaining, tho. It is so effing comfortable. Looks like an upended blue turtle in my living room...
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/fur/211863934.html
To redo, or not redo
A great chair at a great price is a rare find. It can also be a double edged sword.
I have to say, from the photos the chair looks in reasonably good shape ? minus the blue re-upholstery. Can you post some more pictures of the problem areas? In the meantime some thoughts:
As I see it you have three options:
a) Learn as you go and restore the chair yourself
b) Live with the chair as it is, save some money, and have it professionally restored.
Obviously restoration is going to cost some money. But, it will also dramatically increase the monetary value of this chair. An Eames 670 is between $1000 and $4000 these days. It will cost some money to get there, but it could be worth it in the long run, especially if you ever want to resell the chair. Of course, having only paid $65 for it you will undoubtedly make your money back.
This might mean you live with a blue chair for a year or two. If you choose to have the chair professionally restored the general consensus is going through Hume Modern in Venice Beach, CA. www.humemodern.com is the website. Hume has a good reputation of restoring as much as possible from the original chair, rather than replacing things. Email or call for a quote.
If you want to restore the chair yourself you should consider these factors:
It will still cost some money to do the work.
You are admittedly non-handy. Some of the work is simple, some of it is complex. Some of it may require toxic chemicals, and some will require specific tools.
You will make mistakes, which can affect the look and eventual resale value of the chair. You will likely be working in your personal living space ? this can affect your living style, your neighbors, and possibly your health.
My personal experience in restoring a knock off can be found in a post titled ?670 Reproductions/Knockoffs? which was just bumped to the first page again. Basically I?m a pretty handy guy, with fair knowledge of woodworking, sewing, and all around craftiness. I was able to resize and refinish the wood shells, clean up the metal parts, and do a very simple re-upholstery job. However, I didn?t have a sewing machine capable of doing the armrests so I had to send them out. Also ? the upholstery on the knockoffs is different than the upholstery on the originals ? the originals require sewing- I used staples and a glue-stick for the knockoff.
As always, I hope this is helpful.
A trade
If you'd like I'll trade you my newly refinished knock-off for your baby blue 670 😀 Well? Deal?
As I said before, if you take some photos of some of the damaged areas I and others may be able to offer some more advice. Think about it like this-either way you go you've got one of the most iconic chairs of the century!
anyone know the diff between pre/post 1971 eames lounge chair?
Hi folks- Squanto here (again). I've been talking to various folk in LA who do repairs and restoration. Since I am trying to keep costs down I will probably seek out another source for reupholstery.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a cost-friendly source? I know my cushions have down (they are leaking feathers)- but apparently it is a big deal whether the chair is pre or post 1971.
How do I figure this out?
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