4/27/13: UPDATE! I’m downsizing and have consigned this chair and ottoman to Home Anthology for sale. Please contact them if you’re interested in purchasing.
Plycraft lounge chairs are a good alternative to the Eames lounge chairs for those of us who like the look but don’t have the checkbook to match.
Unfortunately, they usually come in this faded tan leather which has often turned kind of a greenish shade on the arm rests. I think some were even done in vinyl and often you find them redone in strange fabrics. The foam is usually shot, too.
They are comfortable when redone with new foam. Some people even find them more comfortable than the Eames chairs. They also tilt, which for some is a plus. And of course, there’s that price point.
I redid this one in an espresso brown leather from Kyson Leather on eBay. I love working with Kyson–they are always happy to send swatches and will also pick out hides from their stock that isn’t listed on eBay if you tell them what you’re looking for. (And nope, I don’t work for them in any capacity–just a satisfied customer!)
Often these Plycraft chairs have simple platform arm rests. This one was made by Selig (not sure what the relationship was to Plycraft but the chairs are so similar that I think there must be a link). It had curved arm rests like the Eames chairs but with no welt, so it looked…ok, cheap. I restyled them with welt on both top and bottom edges. It just looks better, I think.
I also stripped and refinished the plywood. Plycraft/Selig finished these with a tinted varnish, I guess to even out the grain pattern…? Anyway, it invariably gets scuffed and scratched, showing the lighter wood beneath. Also, in evening out the grain, it dulls it. A natural finish of oil looks so much better and is easy to touch up should the chair get a little scuff.
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