Perhaps you’ve seen an Eames chair and thought you’d like one. If you’re not familiar with the brand, it’s a distinctly mid-century modern style of chair that somehow manages to still look great today. Unfortunately, this kind of classic styling and quality construction comes with a price tag in the $5000 range. If you’d like a reproduction, they can still be well over $1000, and according to Imgur user Moekki, today’s knockoffs aren’t built with the same quality as those of the 1960’s.
The third option, at least for Moekki is to stumble upon one (a Plycraft brand knockoff) on the side of the road and restore it. As shown below, the restoration process isn’t exactly easy, but Moekki had no previous experience with upholstery, and the results look fantastic.
An orbital sander was used to strip the wood, which was then wiped down with mineral oil and finished with a coat of polyurethane. After that, four yards of faux leather purchased off of eBay was stretched out and stapled onto the chair’s base in stages, starting with the armrests. The chair was then finished off with buttons, and is reportedly extremely comfortable. Not bad for a piece of furniture found on the side of the road!
Be sure to keep your eyes open! I know I do!
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