apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Good Questions: Who Made Fiberglass "Wing Chairs"?

11.29chair3.jpgHello AT,

I've scoured the internet for a clue about the origins of this chair, but have turned up empty handed.

Although it obviously owes a debt to the Eames "Case Study Fiberglass Armchair", retrospectives on the Eames / Herman Miller era make no mention of a "wing chair". I suspect that it's just a later interpretation "inspired by" the Eames chairs.

So, the questions are: Any knowledge of mid-century production of a fiberglass "wing chair"? Were there many companies producing Herman Miller "kockoffs"? Thanks! K

 
 
(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.)
Link To All Good Questions

ANYONE??

Tags

Good Questions

Related Links

Share

Comments (12)

whatever a 'kockoff' is, I'm intrigued...

posted by bgball on 2007-11-29 13:44:14
view bgball's profile

as I recall there were quite a few companies making fiberglass furniture long after Eames pioneered the use of fiberglass for furniture for the common man!!( why then has his /their furniture become so 'exclusive'and pricey)
We all talk about what is a 'real' Eames or Noguchi when in fact anything manufactured by anyone other than the original designer is a copy...no matter who the manufacturer..sure some stay truer to the original blueprint than others but the fact is, 'mass manufactured inexpensive yet stylish furniture' is EXACTLY what the Eames' wanted to produce- not limited edition signed art pieces that only a few lucky people can afford!!!Let's bring style back to the masses!!
By the way check out my new blog-
http://stuffilike-stuffilike.blogspot.com/

posted by bgball on 2007-11-29 13:50:59
view bgball's profile

Yes, MANY companies produced similar chairs to the classic Eames shell chairs, the most predominant of which was Burke.

I don't know who designed or manufactured your chair, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that neither Herman Miller nor Charles Eames were involved in any way beyond inspiration.

posted by Anna at D16 on 2007-11-29 14:03:30
view Anna at D16's profile

Oh, Kruger was another company that made "Eames-inspired" fiberglass chairs. I couldn't think of the name when I posted my previous comment.

posted by Anna at D16 on 2007-11-29 14:07:43
view Anna at D16's profile

Paul McCobb - here's a link to some (scroll down a little - they are on the left)
http://austinmodern.com/NewArrivals.html

posted by Oven Mitzie on 2007-11-29 16:55:43
view Oven Mitzie's profile

Um, those aren't the same chairs at all.

posted by patrick (the other one) on 2007-11-30 00:05:48
view patrick (the other one)'s profile

Well, whatever, I guess. The chair is very cool, no matter who designed it.

posted by ehy2k on 2007-11-30 00:48:50
view ehy2k's profile

Btw, I think they meant "kNockoffs".

The other thing is something ENTIRELY different. Sort of like a "Bake Off" but not quite. ;)

posted by patrick (the other one) on 2007-11-30 12:32:14
view patrick (the other one)'s profile

I really thought I'd seen every 20th century chair out there by now. But this is a new one (to me, anyway). Cool, indeed. I don't even have room for another chair, but if I came across that, I'd have to buy it.

posted by greer on 2007-11-30 20:39:15
view greer's profile

This chair was actually manufactured by Selig - a Danish company. I don't know who the actual designer was. Ib Kofod-Larsen, a relatively known Danish designer designed for Selig (which was also called Selig-Christensen at one time). I doubt he designed this chair. His usually material of choice was wood or wood and metal.

posted by whitespike on 2007-12-03 21:37:49
view whitespike's profile

Looks a little like The Organic Chair:

http://vitra.com/products/designer/charles_eames_eero_saarinen/organic_chair/

posted by Evan Rose on 2007-12-04 12:08:05
view Evan Rose's profile

Your chair is by Luther Conover.

posted by ehy2k on 2007-12-17 17:55:38
view ehy2k's profile