Dear AT, We have a great little Midcentury modern home and we're adding more and more "classics" when we can afford them. We've just purchased the Eames Molded Plywood Lounge chair in Walnut and it seems absolutely dwarfed by our massive Ikea coffee table. The Lounge chair is just so low that it seems to be lost in the room next to the white table...
I'm looking for a good alternative - should it be round? Should it be glass or acrylic? I've been contemplating the CB2 "Peekaboo" coffee table but I think it's too big for our space and I'm concerned about scratches! Apartment Therapy to the rescue please!! Thanks for your time, Megan
Megan, congrats with the new Eames Molded Plywood Lounge chair. We completely agree with your assessment about the Ikea coffee table being a poor match with the lower profile of the chair. Whether you go round or square seems less of an issue than the point of picking a coffee table that sits at a height compatible with your seating. We also see an opportunity to bring in a bit more colour like you have with the addition of a walnut chair, as the clear acrylic table may result in a room filled with too similar of a palette since the table would give a view of the neutral tone rug below.
Ideally, you would consider saving up for something like a Saarinen Low Oval Coffee Table (here's one on the cheap, but that needs work) with a walnut veneer or maybe something square-minimal like this Mott Modern Coffee Table which sits low while providing a sufficient surface area to span the space between your sofa and your chair. Of course, with some time and patience, perhaps you could find a vintage piece, like this wonderful vintage coffee table from Swank in St. Paul, shown here.
And I'm sure many of our readers have their own opinions of tables that would match your decor and layout (and remember, you can always move things around too). Readers...any other suggestions?
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Go vintage! Sometimes when everything in the room is "new" the effect is a little sterile. I bet you could find some great low slung heywood wakefield styley coffee tables at a reasonable price. I'd go for something more solid rather than something that is leggy and has a lot of negative space (like your current ikea one).
And I would really truly invest in a much rug for your home. I'm sure it is on your list. I wouldn't worry too much about keeping everything in the right period - esp for the rug. It could bring in the color that Gregory suggested and then your future furniture additions could stay in the more neutral ranges.
I'm not sure about the coffee table but you need a much bigger rug ASAP. The one you have is the wrong size for the room.
I gave up on trying to match a coffee table to my Eames chairs. In addition to being low the chair pulls you back, and my guests were always leaning way forward to try and reach the coffee table.
I now use a low-ish handmade MCM table (kind of Paul McCobb-ish) for the main coffee table, and the LCW has its own Eames Low Rod table next to it. A much better fit, as the guests can set their drink down without lurching out of the chair.
Conversely, if you dont have room for two tables, perhaps something like Breuers Laccio tables could work - a low one for the chair, nesting inside the tall one for the couch.
plywood eames chair - check. floating bookshelf - check. "keep calm and carry on" poster - check. this all equates to zero originality. this place looks like a showroom floor...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I'm thinking nesting tables. If they were a red or bright orange that could add some nice color to your neutral room.
Do you use your coffee table? If you want it to be functional with the chair and the couch, which appear to be different heights, nesting tables or a pair of smaller tables might be a better bet.
I like the nesting tables idea. I also like the Smart Marble Coffee Table from CB2. Or you could buy two short end tables and put them together. This way you could move them around or access from the sofa and the chair. Just a thought.
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=114&f=3836&viewall=1
a less expensive options could be: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50074550
Good luck!
-Eleazar (http://www.blogazar.com)
I vote no on the coffee table idea. The Offi mag table would like nice between the chair and the sofa. (I covet that chair btw!!!)
http://www.designpublic.com/shop/offi/630
Yeah, people keep choosing the Eames chair because they're trying to be popular. It's been one giant popularity contest since 1946. Or it may actually just be a decent chair.
The 'go vintage' idea is really good also.
the coffee table is a nice one but you're right it is too tall. also the rug does look too small, but consider turning it in the other direction so it's as long as the sofa. what about a glass table that does not visually occupy as much space as your current table. i could see that ikea table as a bedside table. good luck.
I'd bunch a pair or multiples of a side table. It will bring the scale down to size and also offer more flexibility when you have guests. How about:
http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODf857&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1FRNSDE&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1FRNSDE
or
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=114&f=4674&viewall=1
or
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19614&category=rm_living_spaces&subcategory=end_table
I would ditch the rug completely (I think the dark floors would provide some very nice contrast to the rest of the materials in the room) and get a very low, rough-looking coffee table. I love this one (detail here, and it has potential as a DIY project.
ive always had issues with coffee tables... theyre either too tall or too short. boo.
http://www.dwr.com/product/eames-molded-plywood-coffee-table.do?keyword=eames table&sortby=ourPicks
Click on additional views and select room view
I would go for a small side table for the chair and a low glass coffee table for the sofa. Check out www.boconcept.com for coffee table ideas - don't know if i would actually buy from boconcept because you might not get your furniture delivered until, say, 2012. But you kind of get the idea.
the chair is lovely, but could you paint out your window trim please, and maybe swing your rug around the other way???
re: popularity of eames plywood lounge chair - it really is a great occasional lounge chair for small spaces, especially in multiples. Which is probably why it - along with other mid-century classics - tends to be overrepresented on a site such as apartmenttherapy. I have one myself.
Ditto David's comment on a low-slung coffee table for the sofa and an occasional table for the chair. Having everything centred around a single coffee table might create a tricky focal point for the room. I'd also use this as an opportunity to add some vintage or more traditional accents to your modern look.
Nice choice on the chair and I would agree that you need to get something lower in the coffee table realm, don't worry about whether it's oval or round or square or rectangle or whatever shape but I also agree with what some others are saying too, get an occasional table to put beside the chair.
I had been thinking of the Isamu Naguucci(sp?) coffee table or a similar knock off but with the very neutral palett, it's not going to add much to the space and I also like the idea of several occasional tables in a grouping for flexibility. If you can get 4, 2 in white and 2 in another color and alternate them and get a 5th one to go by the chair.
Definitely either ditch the rug or rotate it so it's length is paralell to the couch it'll look so much better until you get around to replacing it.
Meantime, good luck!
I agree that the Eames LTR occasional table is the best match for this chair:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2289/2511910095_edb1626fed.jpg
Yes it is expensive but consider it an investment: if you ever need the cash you can put it up on ebay and get at least 50% of what you paid (depending on its condition, of course).
Then you could get a separate rectangular coffee table just for the couch...
Is it too late to switch out the chair for a red eames one ? That would be a great pop of color along with your poster, and you could buy some new pillows with accents of red. I've always loved the combo of taupe/neutrals, black and red. You could then go with something low in dark wood or black for the table.
Can someone remind me where to find those bookshelves? They might be "overdone" but they seem like they'd be a good fit for the tiny room I'm moving into.
I'd choose something that's not the obvious answer - Like a vintage Mahogany Butler's Tray Table in the center and a Chinese Garden Stool as a side-table for the chair..
Oh yeah - I'd also swap out that chintzy rug for a vintage Red and Navy Persian carpet that's at least twice the size too. (Why do they even sell 5x8 rugs???)
Because your room is already filled with iconic pieces, I think the most interesting thing to do would be to get something not in the clean lined contemporary. Maybe something rustic, asian or a bit antique looking would add a level of interest. If you really want to stay with something contemporary, a simple parsons table with a stone top would be nice. I also think the Eames chair deserves a small side table so that you can comfortably lounge in it and still reach your drink or book or whatever. A Chinese garden stool would be cool for that purpose.
I heartily agree with jfinteriors. The coffee table could be your opportunity to mix it up a bit and give your place a more personalized feel. Check out the house tour of Jason and J.R's place --- they did a really good job of mixing in a few unexpected elements: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-tours/house-tour-jason-and-jrs-wellconnected-home-new-york-070743
I also like the idea of bringing some more color into your place. One of the best ways to give your place originality and color would be to invest in a great piece of art (an actual painting) and replace the flat screen with it or the mirror.
@middleisgold, it's the Sapien bookcase available from DWR. I seem to remember that there were some slightly less expensive knock-offs, but the price of the original isn't outrageous.
It is complement, not compliment. Unless, of course, you wanted to get a sentient, speaking coffee table that will often tell your chair, "Oh, you're so lovely!"
I think the chair itself is the problem. It just looks too hard and plain. I think a softer chair would not only fit better but be more comfortable, but I don't worship at the alter of Eames so I'm sure I'm in the minority.
Pssst... the headline should read "complement," not "compliment." If the coffee table were going to "compliment" the chair, it'd be cooing over its sleek, simple lines and foxy, laid-back style. And then the chair would slap it.