apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i bought a couch from them several years ago. the springs have broken in several places and are poking through the bottom. i'd go elsewhere if you'd like your furniture to be around a while...

Go to Nuovo Melodrom for your repro furniture. I got a pair of Barcelona's from them a few years ago for similar prices, and they have worn incredibly well. They also delivered within 3 days!

I'd be curious to hear people's recommendations for modern furniture knockoffs.

My question is, how can companies be legally selling knock offs of famous designs?!! Isn't there some boundary of copyright infringement they are crossing? I would love a Barcelona chair myself so what aside from quality of materials makes them able to do this? There has to be some obvious difference in design that keeps these people from being sued. Or is there?

Let me first try to address the "quality" issue: Yes, you get what you pay fore. The quality is not as high as you will find from other "licensed" manufacturers. The leathers used are not as high of a quality, and the metal joinery is not as clean. You will see grind marks around welds, and ill fitting caps on tube ends.

That being said, if you enjoy the look of an item, that is what matters. Do not expect it to last as long, or ware as well. But it will definitely fulfill you desire, enlighten the look of your environment, and keep your wallet as fat as possible.


Regarding the Barcelona, from White-On-White, and others: They get around the issues of copyrights by altering the geometry of the furniture. If just ever so slightly. I happen to owen 2 Barcelonas and ottomans, manufactured in the late 50's. The size and proportion is much different. The backs are slightly more reclined, the back legs are much longer and seem to 'flow' with a cleaner line. As compared to the chairs carried by WoW. They just have a general, more relaxed look to them. I will assume this slight change is the way they get around it.

If you are interested in a bit of local Mies / Barcelona Chair knowledge, have a look here: http://www.licbdc.org/news/2003/new-york-times-4-14-03-gratz.htm

My credo on furniture is "Buy what you love, and buy the best you can afford." That sometimes translates into buying a knock-off as an interim placeholder, but more and more (to me) it means holding out until I can afford the real thing.

There is a definite correlation between quality and price, although not ALWAYS as much as you would hope...

And, as Al mentioned, the subtle changes a knock-off manufacturer employs (to save money in fabrication, or to skirt any licensing laws) very often changes the item enough to make it far less desireable. So my advice is to spend time getting to know the real thing. Suddenly, the knock-offs start to seem not quite right... at any price.

Do you happen to have an address or phone number for White on White?
Stanley
NYC

I would like to pruchsae "replacement" pads and straps for two Barcelona chairs. Do you sell them?

I'm not against buying reproductions; in fact, I've bought some great quality repros from Inmod (I bought several sputnik lamps and a Ball Chair that I adore.) But there's a difference between a quality reproduction and a cheap knockoff--which is indeed what WhiteonWhite.com carries. The fact is, Whiteonwhite lowers the overall value and integrity of some truly innovative pieces by offering their flimsy Chinese knockoffs at prices that truly reflect their quality. I would stay away from Whiteonwhite (and Pinkandbrown.com for that matter).

I agree that "you get what you pay for." In the mid sixties, we bought a genuine Eames lounge chair and ottoman by Herman Miller. That chair is still in our living room, having been re-upholstered once. People always make a bee-line for it, as it is just as attactive as it is comfortable. I seen and sat in Italian knock-offs of this chair, they are comfortable and resemble the original, but (and this is a big BUT), the chair is slightly smaller and the construction details are not as good. The price? $2300 vs. $3000+ for the Eames from Herman Miller. Having said that, I just bought a USED knock-off for $400 to put in our sun-room. It is OK for that location but not the living room.

How about a knockoff of Vladimir Kagan sofas?

Thank you.

I purchased a set of "eiffel" chairs from White on White about four months ago, and recently noticed that the glides have worn through on one of them, and the metal ball ends of the legs are ruining our wood floor. Replacement glides from White on White will take two months to arrive, and will--I suspect--wear through again in a few months. I ordered glides from DWR, and these are clearly of a higher quality, but they don't fit (too loose). I've located some European DSR glides for sale. These fit 10mm ball ends. But the ball ends on my knock-offs seem a bit smaller--closer to 9mm. Will the European DSR glides fall off? Another option would be the "rubber boot glide" that apparently fits both European and American size ball ends. These are bit pricey on my budget, and I'm not positive they will work, though it seems likely. Any advice, suggestions would be very much appreciated.

The "plastic" stuff at White on White is actually fiberglass, and is exception. Contrary to what you might believe from the above posts, their Panton S chair is decidedly BETTER than that from DWR, at less cost. DWR and many others just use cheap dyed plastic. White gets theirs in a gorgeously reflective hard fiberglass that's about 1.5x as heavy, much more solid and much brighter and more reflective. I know because I stupidly went for a cheaper knockoff and got junk.

White's wooden chairs and the marble Saarinen tables are also gorgeous. What seems to suck are all the upholstered and leather goods. The Barcelona line is awful, for instance. Bad leather, uncomfortable. Their loveseat is also awful, as is their Nelson marshmellow loveseat.

But all the fiberglass stuff is really top notch. If I had the space, I'd do my whole apartment in it.