Argington Eiffel Book Case

The Argington Eiffel Book Case has everything we like in a storage unit: a display area in the center, various oriented/sized storage spaces, and a modern, but warm aesthetic thanks to four different choices in finishes (White, Birch, Walnut, and Red Maple). At $630, it's neither in the "affordable" category nor necessarily in the expensive, considering its large size. But it's also very flexible in usability, whether it's used as a children's storage unit or an adult's piece. We did note that a reader on AT had some criticisms about the piece though...

I have been not been happy with our Argington Eiffel. Some of the planks were slightly shorter or longer than others -- not grossly off, but just enough to notice certain shelves and edges don't quite meet up. And there are a lot of imperfections in the wood that were "masked" by the stain. Beyond that, the bookshelf has been off-gassing for months. I was told there are no toxins, but I'm still suspicious. It used to smell up the whole room. Now it's not as bad but anything that I put inside the cabinets gets infused with the smell of the furniture. For what I paid, I expected better quality.
posted by bhu4 on Ohdeedoh

The Argington Eiffel book case is described as "made from durable baltic birch with a clear, non-yellowing, non toxic finish", so we're not sure what is producing such a stink. Perhaps an adhesive?

Comments (12)

When it says "non-yellowing," my understanding is that this means the sealant is (most likely) water-based. It could be either the plywood itself, or the veneer, not having time to fully cure prior to construction/sealing and then being sealed with water-base, which does allow transfer of stains, smells, and the like. The poly itself may be off-gassing, since poly is essentially a thin layer of plastic and some people do find that an irritant. I've a few friends who get sensitive when they're around cabinetry I've polyed that hasn't fully cured, but I've only used oil-base despite being told that water-base won't prompt that reaction.

Birch itself is rather unfriendly to stain, anyway. It can go blotchy, and doubly so when it's plywood. It takes extra effort to get it looking nice, though it is possible. It's much quicker to use a gel stain, which doesn't cause blotching but does muddy the wood grain; that might be what's causing the impression that the stain is "covering" imperfections -- a better class of stain would, well, show those imperfections much more clearly.

Still, it's a nice design even if I'm not sure what exactly you get with it to make it worth that much money. Maybe someone to show up regularly and dust it for you?

posted by k02 on November 7th 2008 at 6:53pm
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Fairly nice design but nothing mind-blowing. For the price, I'd be expecting it to at least be double sided so it could be used as a room divider!

posted by MsUnreliable on November 8th 2008 at 2:50am
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This looks ikea-hackable!

posted by david on November 8th 2008 at 5:47am
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"For what I paid, I expected better quality"

Where are you people objecting to this price point for wood-based case goods doing your shopping? This is NOT a bad price, not even remotely.

posted by patrick (the other one) on November 8th 2008 at 7:06am
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And I love how, in our infinite "green" wisdom, nothing "smells" anymore... it "off-gases."

posted by patrick (the other one) on November 8th 2008 at 7:07am
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Water-based non-toxic finishes have an odor, either as a result of the basic formula or because some artificial "green" scent has been added to make it more consumer friendly. You may find the odor objectionable, but it's not harmful.

Baltic birch is structurally robust but the face veneers are not high quality which is one reason the finish is splotchy. Finish qualtiy is being sacrificed for strength. The rigidity of the cabinet is maintained by the installation of the back panels which is why the openings can't be double-sided.

$650 is VERY reasonable for this piece. It's not IKEA priced but then, unlike IKEA, the half life of the cabinet isn't measured in months.

posted by BrianH on November 8th 2008 at 8:08am
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I actually like that a lot. Despite the "off gassing," I may buy this in the future... Once I have an apartment big enough for such a thing.

posted by confusednazgul on November 8th 2008 at 10:33am
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You used "it's" when you meant "its." Is AT interested in hiring a copy editor? :o)

posted by eeka on November 8th 2008 at 1:03pm
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Seriously, guys, for the price... I do this for a living. The construction looks fine, decent materials. Be great, I know, if everything could be made in China or Mexico for 50 cents an hour. "Off-gassing" is sexier to talk about than human rights, anyway.

posted by john@handmade on November 9th 2008 at 5:14am
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I had a neighbor whose Rhodesian Ridgeback had an off-gassing problem. I'd come home and know if they were over for a visit. 8^(

posted by btoddster on November 9th 2008 at 8:28am
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This isnt expensive at all. And quite lovely - altho I'd like to see a lower version that might be used as a media stand. 38" is just a wee bit too high for the telley to sit on.

posted by Modfan on November 9th 2008 at 9:43am
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Does anyone know the dimensions of the center opening? I have a fairly small tv and wonder if it fit in that space.

posted by amarie on November 10th 2008 at 9:05am
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