Just in from Tim: While grazing the internet, I came upon a knock off Mies van der Rohe daybed on Overstock.com. The price is around $400 - not bad assuming it really is leather as advertised.
Much of the stuff on their website is junky - but this seemed like it might be ok. I was wondering if anyone in AT land could vouch for the website and/or give an opinion on whether the daybed looks good or just like a cheesy knock off?
Just my opinion, but I think the cushion looks overstuffed. It lacks the tight lines of the original.
However that's a small concession considering the price.
I haven't ever bought furniture from Overstock, but the one thing I can say about their stuff that I have purchased is that it always looks better in person when I get it.
I've bought five or six purses/tote bags from Overstock's own "signature" line and the quality is really great.
Sorry, I know purses aren't the same as furniture, but I thought it might help!
I am a glutton for punishment.
I have order 6 items from overstock and every order
have been messed up or damaged upon delivery.
They are by far the worst online companies I have ever
dealt with. I would not recommend ordering anything
(especially something this large) from this site.
They are truly awful!
J
I think Overstock is like a middleman website--they sell for different suppliers. I've ordered things from them, and they all come from different addresses. That may be why Jay's deliveries were all messed up. Mine were ok, but I didn't buy any furniture (though I may try...). I'm assuming returning stuff is a headache, so I wouldn't suggest buying anything from them if you aren't sure about it.
I've been ordering from Overstock for years and never had any big problems -- and I've bought small and large items. A friend of mine outfitted his entire living room with furniture from Overstock and it all arrived just fine. A couple of years later, it's holding up pretty well, too.
You've probably already noticed this, but the legs don't match the original design, and neither does the upholstery pattern on the bolster pillow. I generally have no problems with knockoffs (I even own a couple), but this one does not look like a quality item. Just my 2 cents.
My 2 cents are to RESIST! Devil is always in the details in Mies's work, and this knock-off looks like it cares ZERO for details.
Buy it only if you are the type who likes to carry a fake Gucci bag. My advice is to buy something authentic that you can afford.
Forget about Mies van der Rohe and approach this object for what it is. If you like it, $400 is about what you'd spend at West Elm, etc.
my friends got a wooden (real wood) coffee table for about $200 and when i saw it in person it was much more than what was expected from the online photo and price: chunky, sturdy, a real grown up piece of furniture.
but unfortunately, the first table arrived with dings on the box and dings on the table.
so yes, i concur: bad shipping results but better results than expected.
this doesn't look like a great knockoff -- the little details that make the original so perfect aren't continued here, as Diego also said, which creates a piece that's OK, but nowhere near as fabulous as the real thing.
i guess the question is what you want to accomplish by buying this piece and putting it in your home. if it's to fool people into thinking you have the money and taste to own the real thing, well, it's not going to fool anyone who knows anything about furniture design. if it's quality and comfort, well, this doesn't seem like it would be exceptional on either count - you could probably score something just as good on craigslist or at ikea. if it's because you really like it for what it is and want it in your home, then sure, go for it.
if what you really want is the real thing, it seems like it would be better to save your $400 and wait until you can come up with the rest and get what you really want.
yc -
Funny that you say that about the details of Mies work. Here's a quote you likely already know, but I thought it was fitting.
"God is in the details." -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Definitely worth keeping in mind when considering a knockoff of his work.
'Fraid it looks like a cheesy knockoff to me. I'm pretty sure there are better knockoffs out there for around $700.
As for Overstock, I once ordered some pillows from there. I wasn't expecting much, (they were for a nursery so I'm expecting them to be covered in spit up, aka vomit anyway) but they are lovely and arrived promptly.
My rule of thumb with Overstock is to avoid electronics or mechanical equipment of any kind. Anything you could say "it doesn't work" about, don't get from there. But I would no longer buy sheets, blankets, or towels from anywhere else.
I don't like that daybed, but I'm not a huge fan of the original, either!
I actually purchased in beige from overstock for my townhouse over 2 months ago. Looks great to me. No damage in shipping and it is real leather.
I saw the same piece on their site. I have purchased items from overstock and have been satesfied. The difference with this piece and an authentic one is the leather. This seams to be very glossy where the real one is not. The price is cheap but I think you should pass and look elsewhere. This shiny leather makes it look tacky and fake evan if it is real.
Just fyi, I've seen the "authentic" version of this daybed listed for $11,000, so I'm not sure saving up for the real thing is such a realistic plan.
Maybe the guy just likes the design and wants to live with it, and isn't trying to impress anyone. That said, I really can't get a sense from the pic if this is good quality or not. The original price is near the price for most knockoffs, but not sure how most knockoffs look.
Just as an aside, the CEO of Overstock seems like a total wack job. Not that that should affect your purchase, but just as a point of interest.
I actually bought this daybed for my home office; and I am usually very loath to buy "knock off"--that is, stolen--designs. I'd rather find a newer, more affordable, and distintive piece of furniture than collect "icons" that all too often reveal their shoddiness in a matter of months. This daybed was an exception for two reasons: the price point, which is fantastic; and the fact that I have bought several large items from Overstock in the past few years and never been disappointed with the value (their mod outdoor furniture is particularly well-designed and machined). This "Mies" daybed is both smaller in dimension and far less luxurious in material than Knoll's version (which is about the price of a used Volvo). The legs are noticeably different from the licensed version too (on the Overstock daybed they are tapered and polished chrome). That said, it's a comfortable place to sit, lie and read, or have guests over. And I've also got many compliments on it. No design adict would ever mistake it, though, for the real thing. God, if not the devil, really is in Mies's details--but this item provides as much functionality as Knoll's edition of Philip Johnson's most famous piece of upholstery. The comfort and stability of the Overstock item are quite fine; the leather is too shiny but will probably mellow over time. DWR used to sell an Italian-made Mies daybed which they've discontinued now that they sell Knoll's; it was a great price (about 3K, I think), and if you're looking for quality it couldn't be surpassed (I had the chance to sample it in a showroom not long ago). It's a common and probably verifiable rumor that the same factory that made DWR's unauthorized version also makes Knoll's. They're really identical. A funny thing about the ethics of stolen versus real design objects. The moral economy that decries design theft in view of an inflexible commitment to authenticity, I find, seeks to make people feel quite guilty for something they can't often help--that is, their inability to afford a Knoll product. The pricing schedule of Knoll's merchandise itself reflects a fishy ethical move to maintain orthodox design culture in the hands of corporate clients and otherwise elite consumers. Frankly I think DWR made a misstep when it started to carry Knoll's licensed versions of Mies furniture. Unless you win a Knoll daybed in some fantasy raffle, chances are you'll never be able to own a "real" edition of this design--but that may in fact be the point of the Knoll pricing. We may all covet a Mercedes SL but few of us can expect to own one, after all. N.B. this claim about design theft doesn't quite apply to many Herman Miller designs, which are almost always in line with the more affordable knockoffs that flood the marketplace.
whoops. when i was looking it up online to compare visually, i found sites selling something identical to the original Mies design (as opposed to the Overstock one which seems merely 'inspired by') for under $3000.
and, you know, honestly, i feel no remorse about design theft in situations like these. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is dead. He had an incredibly fruitful design career and probably was not short of cash. He was one of the great architect/designers of the 20th century. The daybed itself is an older design, not something really exclusive that just came out last year. If 'theft' enables companies to bring classic designs to the general public at a more affordable price, and the original designer isn't getting hurt, why not? the only thing it hurts when you buy a $2500 Mies daybed from FutonWarehouse.com is the bank accounts of the executives at Knoll.
Now, if this was a really fresh piece by somebody right out of design school who was just beginning to make a name for herself, then sure, that would be a travesty. But it's not.
However, all in all, this piece looks almost nothing like the original. So the idea of 'theft' is moot. Get it if you like it. Don't get it if you don't. No difference to me. And hey, I'm typing this on an old futon covered by an Indian bedspread, so if you can afford the original Barcelona Daybed, you're doing better than I am.
No, a bit too shiny.
I don't think this is a good reproduction. The base of the legs are all wrong, the "leather" is too shiny compared to the original and it is too padded or stuffed.
If this daybed fits your budget and function then I would say buy it - however, if you are buying this for cosmetic reasons in addition to use I would keep looking. There are better reporductiions out there, you will have to pay more for them but they will last longer and look 10x better.
Check out this link: http://www.inmod.com/miesdaybed.html
They are more expensive but the reporoduction quality/value is far more superior
Alas, I could not resist this one, shoved my architectually brainwashed foot in my quality mouth, and glad I did. Mies will just have to understand. I have paid my respects at his Barcelona pavillion and sought solstice in his column details, and just hope he understands what is really important from the grave. Decent leather for the price, and went for a twist with the ivory. Looks beautiful in that otherwise void space. Overstock is reputable company out of Salt Lake. If you can afford it, then make Knoll richer. Cheers from by daybed to yours.
WIEDER is a surprise - in spite of its minimalist looks it offers excellent comfort, thanks to high quality filling and wooden slats in the seat. Roomy and comfortable while not taking up too much space. Even more surprising is the ease with which the sofa converts into a double bed. http://www.wiederusa.com