Last week, my sister suggested that we were one chair away from needing to rename the blog “chezeames”. She might have a point.
Well, hello there.
This chair has been on our wish list for a few years and now that we’re focusing on finishing up the somewhat neglected living room, we decided to just go for it.
I wish I had some crazy story about how we found it on the side of the road or hidden behind some boxes at a garage sale…but no, we bought it. Our LCW (which stands for “lounge chair wood”) was purchased from Herman Miller through MBI Seattle. The only reason that we were able to eventually afford this chair is that Herman Miller has a very generous architect/designer discount (somewhere in the range of 50%). Even with the discount it’s still an expensive chair, but we rationalized that this is probably the only lounge chair that we would ever have mutual love for and that we would own it forever. Seriously, I want to see a walker parked next to this thing someday.
For now, the chair will live in the corner of the living room.
Look at her, she’s all like…come have a seat and let’s listen to some sweet records.
If you haven’t sat in one of these chairs, they’re remarkably comfortable. In fact, I think this is why the LCW resonates with so many designers – it looks good, is well-built and functional – the three goals that any product or project tries to achieve.
In addition to the chair acquisition, we also finally framed a few prints that my mom had given to me when I was in college. They were purchased nearly 70 years ago by my grandfather, who was a doctor stationed in Paris during WWII. Paris has always held a special place in my heart and even more I love the idea of my grandfather (who passed away before I was born) haggling with some street merchant at Sacre Coeur (I just made that part up, but I like to imagine that’s how it all happened). Anyhow, I’ve been unsure how to properly display them and finally settled on some simple white frames from IKEA. I wanted the prints to be protected and have a presence, but for the frames themselves to be visually de-emphasized. The prints are an awkward size and don’t fit a standard frame, so I instead chose to reverse-matte them (using a little double stick tape). The proportions seem better and I actually like seeing the slightly tattered edges.
I’m starting to really love this little corner of our house. The only thing missing now is a Kylemade media credenza, but that’s another post.
On a related note, last night Kyle and I saw Eames: The Architect and the Painter at the Northwest Film Forum on Capitol Hill. I thought it was done well and compared to the various things I’ve read on the Eames’, it seemed to be a fair and honest look at their lives and work. I’d highly recommend checking it out if it’s playing in your area.
such a classic. sometimes you gotta buy what you love…especially with that sweet architect discount.
Love the wood. Is it cherry? We have one and I will love it for ever. Is absolutely the most comfortable chair we own.
You should print and hang the picture of the kitty on the chair – it is fantastic!
Thanks Monica, yes..it’s the “natural cherry” finish. We wanted something that was close to the fir that we have everywhere else in the house.
Ha, I know…Herman Miller knows *exactly* what they’re doing by providing that discount!
Woo! I got out a shout out! Also, Lauren, I love that you hung up those prints (and the made up story of how they were obtained is probably pretty accurate). I was wondering if you did anything to protect them from sun damage? I think you can use reflective glass to preserve the print. I know you get *some* sunlight in Seattle. : )
Such a great chair! Fairly new reader here, found via design*sponge. I too have this chair, and have kind of a fun story about it. My best friend’s family was moving across the country, and her mother, amidst cleaning out the garage, called me up to say “I have something called an Eames chair. Do you want it?” Score! It’s kind of beaten up and the back has detached itself from the base, but still….
Also-hello! My husband and I moved to Seattle from DC about 9 months ago. I’m an interior designer who works at a hospitality firm downtown. I’ve really enjoyed reading through your archives and seeing such tremendous progress on your home!
Congratulations! Its perfect for your space. I bought a vintage walnut LCW on Craiglist in Detroit about a month ago. What’s the Herman Miller architect/discount you speak of? Do they request an AIA ID? Does and AIA ID get discounts elsewhere?
Hey Amy, they did request an AIA ID, but I’m not sure if it’s absolutely necessary. We also used our AIA discount for a 10% trade discount at West Elm (which also includes Williams-Sonoma and anything else owned by them). There are probably more perks, but those are the ones we’ve used.
Oh man…that is a great story. My mom goes to estate sales in Oklahoma and says she’s seen that kind of stuff before so I’m going to start having her send images of any MCM stuff she finds. (I’m convinced that it’s next to impossible to score those kind of finds in Seattle!)
And welcome to Seattle! Don’t let the rain and darkness get you down… =)
Hmm…I hadn’t thought of the sun damage. They’re already pretty “aged” so I guess I’m not too worried? We keep that curtain closed most of the time so hopefully they’ll be ok.
Congratulations! My LCW was my xxth birthday gift to myself, and now has a Todd Smith Blocks series photo hanging above it, thanks to you. Even my 80-year-old mother thinks LCW is comfortable, so I think your image of a walker parked nearby is promising. Enjoy.
I stumbled upon your blog while looking at upsidedown planters for orchids. I love the way your home looks, super clean and organized just like your website.
I went the craigslist route for bentwood chairs (can’t afford to buy the designer stuff) and I found these two awesome ones that someone bought in the 70s at an estate sale. http://www.minimal-ism.com/2011/10/mid-century-modern-furniture/
Let me know what you think! I will continue checking your site for inspiration in my new condo (I live in a 360 sq foot studio with my partner and our cat)
Those chairs a great, nice find!
Love it!
What a beautiful corner ! Cozy and modern. Perfect !
The picture of your cat on the chair made me laugh – leave it to a cat to find the best seat in the house…
[…] a moment of furniture weakness, we also decided to finally ordered that LCW that we’d been pining over since our days in architecture school. (Thank goodness Herman […]
Hi! I just wanted to thank you for informing me of the Herman Miller discount. I’m engaged to an architectural designer with a love of Eames. We just bought some molded plastic chairs for about 45% off. I wanted to go back to this post and give you some love. Thanks!!
Anthropologie provides a 15% discount to the trade on their home goods, and Crate & Barrel/CB2/The Land of Nod gives a 10% discount through their Design Rewards program. Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn also have trade discounts. And Knoll’s A&D discount is similar to Herman Miller’s. Love designer perks: ).
Ooh…didn’t know about Anthropologie’s discount (too bad it’s not on clothes too, haha!). Thanks Cheryl!