I was looking at Overstock yesterday and was surprised to see a knockoff of an Eames Molded Plastic chair in a set of 2 for $164.99.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Ronnie-Wire-Base-White-Chairs-Set-of-2/3351572/product.html?sec_iid=32491

The originals sell for $249 each at DWR. I wish I could afford to buy the originals but, for $335 less, I'd be happy to see the others at my table.

There's a few overstock coupon codes available online. Save some bucks ;)

Still in stock at Modern Dose for $189 includes shipping!

http://www.moderndose.com/product_info.php?products_id=97

just commented on the original article earlier, but i'll put it up here too

If they would make a knockoff in any other forms besides the standard shell with eiffel base and arm shell with rocker, i would be more apt to pick one up. arm shell with wheeled base or eiffel base, heck yeah. Any colors, even better. The rocker is nice, but i have no room or need for one.

you can get the knockoffs all over ebay.

i would get one, except they're always in just white. on the modern dose site it shows other colors (although a bit glossy) but they're not available, just white.

you shouldn't feel bad about getting a knockoff. save some money, plus, the "real" eames ones aren't even fiberglass anymore, so the knocks are almost the same. if you want a more "real" one get a fiberglass one from modernica.

i own the rocking chair from overstock - as well as a vintage eames one. while the overstock version is clearly not as nice (the seat is thinner/plastic-ky), it's a great substitution for the kid's room - my little one loves the eames rocker since it's just his size, and this chair gives him his own without me worrying about the rough antics of a 6 yr old on the real (pricey!) thing ...

if you want a more real one, buy a recyclable plastic one

the eames' were all about sustainable methods & the decision to switch from fiberglass to polyprop [i think] was one based on ecological decisions

be true to the concept not the aesthetic!!!!

Just a few days ago they stocked good-looking knockoffs of the Ghost chair, but when I went to grab the link, I discovered that they're already gone! They do have one of a Bertoia diamond chair, but it's just 'ok': http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Rupert-Chrome-Steel-Chair-with-Leatherette-Seat-Pad/2682968/product.html

You get what you pay for - in this case you get a vague, shitty, approximation of a remarkable chair. Yes, the real chairs are expensive - because they last forever. I have arm-shells that are almost 55 years old. Show me one of these crappy knock-offs that won't be in the trash by next spring.

Like I posted on the other forum:

The Herman Miller Eames Rocker is $449, and the Modernica versions of these are $375 - both are made right here in the United States (Michigan and Southern California, respectively). Those prices are really not that much for a piece of quality furniture that you'll keep for years and years.

Wanna take a wild guess where these Overstock and Target chairs are made?

I find it sad that AT bloggers don't see that we all need to help keep our neighbors employed by encouraging the purchase of the US made items rather than filling our homes with cheap imported knockoffs and watching as our skilled workers and craftsmen are laid off, factories closed and poverty imported to the US. Without their productivity, work and spending, other businesses that depend on their spending will continue to lay off workers and close - and your job could be next.

"you shouldn't feel bad about getting a knockoff"

Please tell that to the @ 2000 folks who have been laid off from Herman Miller in Michigan beginning this past September until a few weeks ago...

...I'm sure they appreciate their neighbors buying cheap knockoffs from China just so they can save a few bucks.

'"you shouldn't feel bad about getting a knockoff"

Please tell that to the @ 2000 folks who have been laid off from Herman Miller in Michigan beginning this past September until a few weeks ago...

...I'm sure they appreciate their neighbors buying cheap knockoffs from China just so they can save a few bucks.'

i'm sure the global economy appreciates anyone spending any money in general. i think that people saving a few bucks is far different from people saving a few hundred bucks. so get down off of your high horse and let people be happy finally getting something in their homes that they've probably wanted but couldn't afford.

"so get down off of your high horse and let people be happy finally getting something in their homes that they've probably wanted but couldn't afford."

That's a very selfish viewpoint, amalgamax: As long as you get whatever you want for cheap, everyone else in your country can get screwed.

So much guilt over buying a chair. I think I'll just keep my money.

if you want to get into this debate

should you feel bad about buying a foreign car because right now GM is laying off people like crazy and shutting down plants. Yes some of the foreign cars are made in the US (and a lot of US ones aren't) but none the less they are not american companies.

I hate how whenever you try to talk about saving a little money right now everyone start complaining about the economy. If someone wants to go buy that chair, go do it. If someone wants to pay for the real thing, go do it. Everyone else who has an opinion or not about their moral values and their standpoint on the global economy of where they bought a chair can just shut the hell up.

This post is not about the economy it is about a chair.

and also, fine if you wanted me to i would go tell that to whoever works at that factory. I used to live there, in Michigan, I know what it's like and actually know people that work there. That is how the world is going right now, companies are downsizing and tightening their belts. Almost every company. So when you're at any store or grocery store, please stand their and think about the local and global economic repercussion or everything you buy, because that company that you decided not to buy toilet paper from could be laying people off right now.

"the eames' were all about sustainable methods & the decision to switch from fiberglass to polyprop [i think] was one based on ecological decisions

be true to the concept not the aesthetic!!!!"

I wanted to comment on this as well. The Eames were also about mass produced and low cost furniture for the masses. A $400 chair simply is not that. Do you know where you can find tons of original herman miller chairs? Schools, churches, etc. At places that could buy a large amount of quality chairs for a lower price.

In 1948, Charles and Ray Eames submitted this chair to the International Competition for Low Cost Furniture.
Sadly that isn't the case any more.

Knock-offs are theft of intellectual property. It's always cheaper to copy than to develop something from scratch.

How is it possible to care about design but not designers?

How is it possible to care about design but not designers?

This is how I feel about Music and Movies and Software.

I guess most of us are guilty in some aspect. If we want to talk about the economy, we should look around our house and see how much we "Saved".

I don't understand how these RIPoffs are even legal. Buy only licensed reproductions. How would you like it if you were an artist selling your paintings, and someone started selling prints of your work without your authorization? I think this is really, really gross and I don't understand how it is not a crime. And yeah, you get what you pay for.