Investing in Iconic Pieces
The other day I was advising that you throw out your $19.99 Halogen lamp and invest in something beautiful (budget permitting, of course). It brought up the question of when to invest in an iconic piece and when to hit the mall store catalog.
I think of investing in furniture like I think of my wardrobe. I'll invest in a perfect Narciso Rodriguez dress for that reunion I'm dreading, Manolo Blahnik silver D'Orsay heels, a Burberry trenchcoat, Tod's driving mocs, a tailored velvet Piazza Sempione jacket, a Tory Burch tunic, a statement Hermes scarf, and yes, I'll pay $300 for a pair of jeans if they make my butt look spectacular. I mean, you can't put a price on that, right? However, I mix all of these investment pieces with cheap stuff from Target, The Gap, and thrift stores. I approach decor the same way.
Let's face it. People love to throw around names and try to make us feel stupid, right? If you don't know your Eames from your Mies, don't beat yourself up, and don't ever let a design snob make you feel stupid. I've forgotten more names of furniture pieces than I'll ever possibly remember. Now, before you look at my list, just know that I do have a fetish for chairs and a fondness for architects slash furniture designers. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Thus, please add any of your own iconic favorites or advice on which pieces to invest in versus hitting HomeGoods.
Where to find these goodies? For an easy breezy full price purchase, go through vendors that have the licenses for these pieces like Design Within Reach, Knoll, and Herman Miller. If you enjoy the hunt, do regular searches on 1st dibs, Fyndes, eBay and Craig's List. Just be informed and careful of idiot sellers who put "Eames Era" in the title of anything from the last century, or who say "Le Corbusier chair" in the title but later say "Le Corbusier-style," etc.
I think of investing in furniture like I think of my wardrobe. I'll invest in a perfect Narciso Rodriguez dress for that reunion I'm dreading, Manolo Blahnik silver D'Orsay heels, a Burberry trenchcoat, Tod's driving mocs, a tailored velvet Piazza Sempione jacket, a Tory Burch tunic, a statement Hermes scarf, and yes, I'll pay $300 for a pair of jeans if they make my butt look spectacular. I mean, you can't put a price on that, right? However, I mix all of these investment pieces with cheap stuff from Target, The Gap, and thrift stores. I approach decor the same way.
Let's face it. People love to throw around names and try to make us feel stupid, right? If you don't know your Eames from your Mies, don't beat yourself up, and don't ever let a design snob make you feel stupid. I've forgotten more names of furniture pieces than I'll ever possibly remember. Now, before you look at my list, just know that I do have a fetish for chairs and a fondness for architects slash furniture designers. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Thus, please add any of your own iconic favorites or advice on which pieces to invest in versus hitting HomeGoods.
Where to find these goodies? For an easy breezy full price purchase, go through vendors that have the licenses for these pieces like Design Within Reach, Knoll, and Herman Miller. If you enjoy the hunt, do regular searches on 1st dibs, Fyndes, eBay and Craig's List. Just be informed and careful of idiot sellers who put "Eames Era" in the title of anything from the last century, or who say "Le Corbusier chair" in the title but later say "Le Corbusier-style," etc.
Eames shell rockers
Well-placed Bertoia Wire Side Chairs
Eames Lounge Chair
More Saarinen Tulip Table and Tulip Chairs with Arms.
I am totally stealing this description from SallyTV:
"The UP5 is the chair, the UP6 is the ottoman. It's also known as "Donna." It was designed in 1969 by Gaetano Pesce (da man!) for C&B Italia (Cassina & Busnelli). It's now produced by B&B Italia."
"The UP5 is the chair, the UP6 is the ottoman. It's also known as "Donna." It was designed in 1969 by Gaetano Pesce (da man!) for C&B Italia (Cassina & Busnelli). It's now produced by B&B Italia."
Panton S Chairs
Bertoia Wire Diamond Chair with Cover
Thonet Chairs
Marcel Breuer Wassil Chairs
Platner Side Table
Eames Fiberglass Shell Chairs
I forget who makes it, but that curvy chair is starting to show up a lot now that Bravura Modern is making a comeback.
Arco Floor Lamp by the Castiglioni brothers
Le Corbusier LC3 Chairs.
Eames Walnut Stool, I think that's a Jonathan Adler Nixon throw (a new must-have that recalls David Hicks), and that table whose designer evades my brain at this moment.
Arco Floor Lamp; that looks like a Le Corbusier LC4 Lounge Chair.
Patrick Townsend Chandelier
Barcelona Daybed
Gehry Wiggle Chair
Saarinen Womb Chair
I believe this is a FL/Y Lamp by Ferruccio Lavian. I'm not sure on the chairs but they look like Wegners.
Arne Jacobson Egg Chair and Ottoman and Noguchi Table
Noguchi Table, as for the gun, it's up to you and your taste.
Poul Henningsen's Artichoke Lamp
Aarnio Ball Chair