White on White Furniture also does a very nice copy, with a nice marble top. Definately a mid-level cost at $550.

Slightly off-topic: I've enjoyed this continued riffing on your Scrabble color-scheme. Another fine example here.

I'm sitting at one of CB2's replicas of a real tulip table right now. I love the design and that it cost roughly only 10% of the what the real one does, but I consider it to be a temporary stand-in until I can get the real thing.

I would have liked to see the rooms staged as opposed to the sample smorgasbord. Maybe next time? :)

Love the color scheme.

Um, coco, I'm not sure the budget exists here for full-on room staging and photo shoots... we'll leave that to Met Home.

In my mind the biggest difference between the two is the chair. The "expensive" room has a char with intricate and beautiful legs while the "cheap" room has a wicker chair.

i think the cheap ikea chair is what ruins it for me. i would've chosen this ikea chair:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80110311

I'm glad you're doing this type of post - but I would never recommend the IKEA table after all the complaints about the cheap plastic base that have been posted here in the comments - CB2's table with a sturdy metal base is a more appropriate and durable choice for not alot more money.

Nothing but the best. You will always love the original. The cost of the Knoll Saarinen is very affordable. Save $100 a month and in one year you can have the real thing.

http://a-mad-tea-party-with-alis.blogspot.com/2008/01/story-of-saarinen-table-and-other.html

I'm not a big fan of the wicker chair either. The Jakob chair http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90126038 seems to be a better match, but it doesn't add much in terms of color.

1. I really like this splurge vs save concept -- though you missed the capiz pendant at west elm, Sarah! (see link below)

2. I think this notion speaks well to the "carb vs protein" furniture idea. This is a great way to achieve the "look" instantly but collect the more expensive pieces over time. In other words, build your design concept, and shop for knock-offs that will act as placeholders until you're ready to fund a higher-end piece.

3. This is also a great way to "try out" a concept and change your mind without a huge loss, if any (resell on craigslist to fund a new purchase).

West elm lamp:
http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODw410&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1WALPEN&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1WALPEN

I agree with entenza. Why spend $100 or $200 on something you won't keep when you can save up for something you'll have for a longer period? For me that's a couple of hundred down the drain that could have gone towards something I actually like. Until I'm able to afford something I really want, I just do with a hand-me-down or super cheap thrift shop buy, esp. in the case of highly used objects like tables, sofas, etc. But I also don't see someone filling his/her home with only "expensive" stuff. Just because it costs less doesn't mean it's ugly or of bad quality (unlike that horrible wicker chair). I know my home is a mix of high end, old, & super cheap stuff.

let us not forget that buying the 'real thing' pays dividends later as well.

i have several authentic vintage eames and george nelson pieces that, should i grow tired of or move into a space that called for something different, i could sell for a major chunk of (if not equal or more) than i acquired them for. there will always be a market for the genuine article.

the ikea table is destined for the scrapheap (where it belongs, as it is an awful and unstable copy). if you are interested in a copy of the tulip table then look into to buying a vintage burke table. they are well made and got close to capturing the elegance of the original.

Ugghh.. The problem with this concept is that on my computer screen both options look great. And if looks were all that made the Saarinen table great then it would be a no-contest.

However, good design falls in the middle of the ven-diagram (overlapping circles) of craftsmanship, utility, and aesthetics. The aesthetic of a piece means nothing if the piece is crappily made.

Apartment Therapy - and many of its readers - need to recognize that cost and value are not the same thing. Value is a good return on your investment. Cost is the dollar amount you pay. I could pay $150 for the Ikea table, and it WILL fall apart (i know lots of folk who bought them) within a year. Or I can pay $1500 for the Saarinen, which will last a lifetime. The cost is 10 times more for the saarinen, but the return is 60 years and counting. Thats a good value.

(and thats not even considering the amount of landfill you save by not chucking your ikea POS when the top delaminates and the base wobbles off)

Oh my God, not more of this, "If you can't afford or WON'T afford the $1500 real thing, just don't bother."

The IKEA table may be crap, and if it is, that's a good reason not to buy it, but not buying it just because you are a brand snob and it's not the "real thing" is no reason. I can't imagine ever dropping $1500 on a table. We all have different ideas for what we'll spend our money on and you can spend yours on the table while I spend mine on furnishing an entire room.

Anybody know of a good knockoff of the Saarinen oval table?

"Anybody know of a good knockoff of the Saarinen oval table?"

Why not just create your own?
Get the CB2 table or the Axis table base from Room and Board and have a custom oval top made for it from a quartz solid surfacing material such as Corian or Silestone?

You know, the last time the subject of the IKEA tulip table knockoff came up, several owners pointed out that their table was doing just fine, thank you very much, but that you have to assemble it properly for it to hold up.

So, if you're not up to following IKEA instructions, don't get the IKEA table. Simple, no?

I'm seconding the posters here: Do more of these Splurge or Save posts. Very much appreciated for those who like to see the mix of high-low products available especially in these frugal times. I wish I could afford the stuff I see in Domino, LivingEtc. but I love visiting AT to see what's accessible, mixable in a real home setting.

my style changes as i grow older. so i got the tulip table for 80 bucks on craigslist although i love the original i just could not justify it since who knows what i might want months from now. i like being able to spend a decent amount on something that i like but not feeling so tied to it because i spent so much that i just live with it when i am over it..

i saved... but i didn't get the ikea version:

http://lifedocket.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-need-dining-chairs.html

i looked at white on white's knockoff, but i think they only had one size and it was too big. that or their smallest version was still to big for my nyc apartment.

If only the problem with Ikea furniture was to be solved in careful assembly. I have yet to seen any hold up to normal life regardless of who put it together including their own installation people, my brother the licensed contractor in his own home, etc. The laminate peels off - it's cheap, (not just inexpensive but rickety) it doesn't matter how careful you are, it often doesn't survive even the trip home without damage.
My artist/professor aunt had the Saarinen stuff when I was growing up and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I'm trying to get the best of both worlds this way: I've got a 48" diameter heavy glass top on my current table and will invest $490 in a restaurant grade chrome or stainless pedestal base. Trying to find the real chairs on ebay or will buy knock offs til I can afford the real thing.

Ikea did have though, a plastic molded chair with stainless legs that was not dissimilar to the one in the splurge photo above, Can't find it online but I thought they were about $75 apiece and would make a relatively inexpensive stand in while you save to get something nicer. I don't think the Kohl reissue chairs were all that high especially given the quality of their stuff. I was also surprised to find pretty cool modern stools at Lamps Plus of all places. So happy this came back into style - I can pay for some of it by not replacing my nice-enough laminate kitchen counters with granite as I had planned to do.

I never even knew about the CB2 version of the table, and believe me, I was looking for a temporary piece in that price range for ages!

Thanks!