Pull up a chair and talk to me about...Eames dining chairs.

[PaythePiper]

I'm utterly sick of my dining chairs- high backed dark leather things. I bought them when I had a totally different dining space in a different flat. Finances have not allowed for an upgrade or change until now- but I think I'm finally ready to replace them with something else.

I have a big refectory-type table and recently bought an industrial type light (recovered from a ship, quite cool) so am looking for something that will go better with industrial chic mode.

I'm swithering about whether to get something like these:
www.cultfurniture.com/furniture-c10/chairs-c3/eames-style-silver-blue-dsw-chair-p679

It seems like these chairs are everywhere just now so may not be that original a design concept- though that doesn't bug me really. I am more concerned about whether they are remotely comfortable? Scary for kids to sit upon? Does the cheaper plastic version look cheesy and well...cheap? Do they hold up? I'd love to get the proper vintage fiberglass versions but they cost an eyewatering amount and frankly cannot be justified on my current budget.

If not those, any other ideas?

I really like these Eames chairs and it irritates me that many of these design classics were supposed to be democratic furniture made of easily sourced materials and available to the masses but licensed version are only really an option for oligarchs...

I think the knock-offs vary in quality and it would be worth either visiting their depot (some do have goods on display) or ordering one with the view to returning it if allowed or ebaying it on if you don't like it. I have a selection of knock-off Jacobsen chairs and I think they look pretty good but they are a bit flimsy, I have to periodically tighten up all the screws to stop them coming apart. I do have an "original" Eames chair and the fibreglass is lovely but I'm not sure it is that noticeable.

Your link isnt working

We have the white eames style chairs with wooden/ metal legs.

I don't know what ours are made from but they are very heavy, therefore sturdy and steady. Dd age 3 copes with them just fine. Very easy to wipe clean too which is an added bonus.

They are very comfortable which surprised me.

I think we paid about 200 gbp on each, although I can't be 100% because we bought them in the Middle East.

My friend bought the much cheaper version and they got scuffed and damaged very quickly.

I've got eames dining chairs. Thought they were comfy for ages but now I get a cold bum and always shove a cushion down on them.

Argh, sorry, don't know what happened with link but suffice to say they are the classic looking chairs with the wooden legs.

I am sort of tempted to get the good quality Vitra-made ones, which run to about £320 each (still cheaper than a real vintage!) and I could go sit in one at John Lewis to try it out. They don't have the colour in stock that I particularly like though- namely, Ocean, and the cheap one I tried to link to is a very nice silver/blue colour.

I am encouraged to hear good things about the chairs though, makes me more inclined to go for it, generally. The other option might be to get two chairs and a bench, though DH is less keen on the bench idea.

Yes we have the cheap replica ones and are very pleased with them.
Not expecting them to last forever but they look good and don't fall apart when you sit on them like our last lot of chairs.

These people do replica Ocean ones. I have no idea about the quality though www.eamesdsw.com/ocean-eames-dsw but I guess given the saving over buying all these versus all Vitra you could order one to see?

Admittedly fakes won't hold value like licensed originals....but if you keep them a fair few years Eames dining chairs might not be the in thing anyway.

@pootlebug- thanks for that link. That's a good idea, ordering just one to try it out. I don't want to go ahead and sell the chairs I have anyway until I am sure so I could "phase in the new ones.

@preggersbycheggers (great name, btw)- can I ask where you got your chairs? I think a cheaper replica (with a recommendation of decent quality) would be fine with me.

Thanks :)

We got ours from here in the end

eames chair

But they were recommended from here in the ideal home magazine.

If you are doing it v]because you personally like them then fine. if you are wanting to be contemporary and make a style statement then sorry, you have missed the boat by a decade (it was a heavily laden boat at that)

We have a set of the original fibreglass ones in a greenish colour. They are a trifle low for our current table, which is my only real gripe with them. They are also quite slippery but not all of the reproductions are fibreglass so that depends on the material. I must admit I love the textured look of the fibreglass, and they give slightly as you sit in them, which is nice.

Not sure how they would work for children - height and the slightly constraining bucket shape might not work well.

i bought 6 from lakeland furniture www.lakeland-furniture.co.uk/eameschairs.html

they where excellent quality and have transformed my oak table. i had leather dining chairs and the white chairs i now have really brighten up the room. for the price i was thinking that i could change the styles of dining chairs we have more often as it really does make a difference to the look of the room

i bought 6 from lakeland furniture www.lakeland-furniture.co.uk/eameschairs.html

they where excellent quality and have transformed my oak table. i had leather dining chairs and the white chairs i now have really brighten up the room. for the price i was thinking that i could change the styles of dining chairs we have more often as it really does make a difference to the look of the room

I've recently bought 6 of the white with metal legs from Cult Furniture - it felt risky as I hadn't seen before ordering but they are great quality and v sturdy (I am a few weeks off giving birth and huge and have stood on them without any issues!).

I bought the metal-legged Eiffel (repro) ones, and to be honest I wish I hadn't. They seem to be everywhere here (Australia) e.g. At least once in every interiors magazine, Perth airport cafe. Plus about 4 kids have fallen off the while leaning over on play dates. They look good, though.

The only thing I would add is about height of chair in relation to the table so buying a test one is a good option (you'll be able to return it under distance selling regs if you're not happy though may need to pay postage).

We had Eames Eiffel (licensed versions) in work and they were always a bit too low for the refectory table they had.

I literally just bought some chairs from www.eameschair.org.uk

Before I bought them I didn't know the situation behind the licensing of Eames Chairs etc, although at the time I suppose I did think it was strange that they were so cheap.

Basically the ones I bought turned out to be reproductions, but I literally cant tell the difference between them. I think on chairs like the Eiffel (Which i bought) it wont be as obvious as a Eames Lounger, I wouldn't even consider buying a reproduction lounger! It would be like buying a reproduction Bentley!

I was looking through the sites above for a rocking chair for a friend who's having a baby and found a discount code to eameschair.org.uk. 10% off your basket, not much but as Asda says "Every little helps"...The code is eamesoff10

Hi, just came across this thread. I bought a set of DSW Chairs from www.pash-living.co.uk/dsw-eiffel-chair-inspired-by-eames-plastic.html

Had them over a year now and they're still going strong. The quality is good and they're sturdy and durable (with three young ones climbing over them all the time it's a good job!). Can certainly recommend these chairs and this company, as their customer service was excellent.

Just to back up yummymummyxxx, I bought 4 from www.pash-living.co.uk over a year ago & they've stood up well to the constant bashing from the kids.

I got mine (pink ones!) from Only Home (www.onlyhome.co.uk). a little more expensive than the normal cheapy ones (at 70 each) but the quality is superb, they also do 5% off thingey (FB5), i think it's from their facebook 'like' bonus but I'm sure you won't mind ;-)

I bought a set of these from pash-living and they're fantastic! :-)