4 Advice to Choose a Dsw Plastic Chair

This is a story about the Eames DSW side chair design. Ray and Charles Eames were renowned designers in the s and 50s, producing many objects, buildings and films that often have the word “iconic” attached to them. Among their most popular designs are a series of plastic† side chairs that you’ve doubtless seen, sat-in or even bought, with various bases made out of different combinations of wire and wood. The range was designed at the end of the ’s for a Museum of Modern Art low-cost furniture competition, and they embody the Eames’ goal of “Getting the most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least” .

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The “DSW plastic side chair” you see here is often referred to as a wooden eiffel, and with it’s combination of pale maple wood, comfortable curves and intricate wires, it will grace a photoshoot somewhere in any damned interior design magazine you happen to pick up. I’m not even kidding.

The patents for most Eames furniture remain with Herman Miller in the states, and Vitra in Europe, and they still distribute most of the plastic side chair range. You can buy an “original” DSW plastic side chair — evolved from the 65 year-old design — today for around £280/$440.

This gives rise to the sort of laws of supply and demand that are not often taught in business schools. A plastic side chair that costs you over a £ to complete even a small table, is being displayed to a hungry, decadent middle class, over and over in perfect kitchens and delightful dining rooms. The inherent design of the chair makes it easy to copy and mass produce at low cost (that was, after all, it’s purpose). Enter the pirates.

It’s not clear if it started with companies in China, but it soon became the most obvious place to produce copies. Various faceless factories started shipping copies of design classics like the DSW in huge quantities at a fraction of the original price.

The design industry is trying to clamp down on this business, with some effect. But it still hangs around for the moment.

Six years ago, I wanted a piece of this design-life to be my-life in London. I bought a “knock-off” Eames DSW as a desk chair for £60/$90. Now I’m living in Sweden, and I’ve just bought four more (shipped from the UK) for our dining table, for £30/$45 each. That’s quite a saving. Meanwhile, I can still admire the full-cost, real thing at the office of my day-job.

And with these three chairs, I can see the story behind the object.

Looking at all three, I imagine a timeline of decisions and cost-savings. They are the results of continuous feedback and market demands. And I can’t help applauding the engineers involved, who took decisions about what compromises consumers will accept, whilst shaving serious money off production costs.

Lets walk through these three chairs and see what that extra money buys you (discounting the intellectual property cost — and I know how that sounds — to concentrate on the production design aspect). We’ll call them Mr Vitra (£280/$440), Mr Cheap (£60/$90) and Mr Pennies (£30/$45).

The plastic shell is the first stop. The shell on Mr Pennies is not quite the nice original chalky colour, more a brilliant white — but it’s clean and consistent across all four chairs.

Lets talk about colour fade. Mr Vitra is said to never change colour. But at least in the reproductions, it’s such a common problem that it should be considered an expectation ✢. I actually look at the cream tinted Mr cheap now and feel it has more character than the brand new Mr Pennies — a little like leather furniture does after time. You may feel differently.

Mr Pennies has a smoother satin texture than the others, but all three have identical dimensions and shapes. To sit on, you’d never tell the difference, and the suspension effect of the base means that none of the chairs will ever be unbalanced once you sit down. And they all creak in pretty much the same way when you sit on them.

Mr Vitra has clear manufacturer stamps on the bottom with a serial and date of production, as well a faint injection moulding nub, where the plastic entered the mould. Mr Pennies has a similar nub in the same place, although rougher and much more obvious. So what we have here is production tooling designed to give large scale production, consistent quality and a quick turn-around — inject, cool, snap-off, repeat.

Strangely, the middle cost chair has no visible nub so I can only assume it’s somehow hidden and/or machined off. Was this a case of a production engineer feeling they could improve on the original? Whatever the reason, it would inherently add extra time and an extra process so it’s unsurprising that in the later, cheaper, Mr Pennies, the nub returned to somewhere uglier, quicker and less likely to cause rejects.

All three variations have visible sink holes on the top surface where the leg joints cool at a different rate to the thin skinned shell, although they’re less visible on Mr Cheap.

The legs on Mr Vitra are nicely finished in maple with all the chamfers and slots smoothly cut. The finishing on the reproductions’ wooden legs are quite frankly close to that of the dearer cousin, but Mr Pennies is much more pink colour which is obviously not maple. In addition, both the cheaper chairs have rough cuts to fit the top brackets, which are also clearly of lower quality than Mr Vitra. Like the other parts of the reproductions, it’s neat where it’s visible, and cheap and quick where it’s hidden.

The outside leg fixings (above) show the clearest differences between the three. Mr Vitra has black powder-coated cross head bolts that match the rest of the fixings (Herman Miller versions often use chrome instead). The bolts on Mr Cheap are different — but not unattractive — allen bolts in more of a dark steel colour. On Mr Pennies however, the bolts are quite clearly cheap, chromed allen bolts that don’t fill the holes as nicely as the others.

But it’s the nuts on the inside of the base (above) that tell the real story. The bolts on Mr Vitra are capped with black powder-coated locking nuts. Mr Cheap can’t stretch to the additional cost of colour, but instead has some smart stainless steel domed nuts. And as the legs are tapered, both chairs have a shorter bolt at the top where the leg is thinner, and longer bolts at the lower, thicker, anchor point.

Here’s where Mr Pennies has a stroke of evil genius. It replaces the expensive coloured or domed nut with a cheaper locking nut and a black plastic cap to make it look like a domed nut ✧. As well as costing peanuts, this has the second pay-off of allowing the bolt to be the same length top and bottom, as it hides the excess thread in the cap. Less variations of bolts used, bigger economies of scales, less buckets of different size bolts to keep track of on the shop floor and less mistakes on the production line. As an aesthetic choice, it sucks (if you look close enough). But as a production trade-off, it rocks hard.

Before you feel that these engineers are putting their profit above all morals, I’d point out that even the cheapest chair still makes some concessions to having a reasonably long life, and to sticking to the original design. The factories could make further savings by not using locking nuts, the wire trellis is still neatly welded and painted, and those nasty plastic nut covers still resemble expensive domed nuts at a distance. These are all places that further savings could be made, but are deemed to move the design too far from the purpose or reduce the usefulness — and longevity — one step too far.

So for £30, Mr Pennies essentially gives you crappy fixings. You could go to the shops and buy better ones — and still be in profit — if you cared enough. It’s worth noting that when it comes to cutting corners for profit, all three chairs have the exact same same bill-of-materials, the repros haven’t tried to fabricate the trellis in one casting, or reduce components by combining the leg bracket with the joint in the seat. It’s only the choice of components and process that differ.

The production doesn’t end at the finished chair, because at the end of any production line is where the goods are packaged. The packaging for Mr Pennies has it’s own story, which spoke of continuous feedback from distributors about what survives the journey and what doesn’t. The bolt points underneath the plastic shells came with not only plastic transit caps, but a felt pad as well — so you could plastic wrap the shells and then quickly, loosely stack them in a box, still not risking scratching them between factory and showroom. The bases of the chairs also had just enough packaging the allow for safe stacking, boxing and transporting in shipping containers that can reach freezing or scorching temperatures on the long, slow journey to Europe.

When a box of four chairs has such a small profit margin, you know you can’t give an unboxing experience like an Apple product, but it’s also clear you can’t afford too many returns eating up your margins. All of these small packing measures mean more shopfloor bins of film and foam that could stop a production line if they ran out, and more people and processes to eat away at your bottom line. This balance of packaging quality versus returns is a finely tuned equation echoed through the whole chair.

Am I annoyed at the compromises and cheapness of my four £30 chairs? Not really. I knew how much I was paying, and and I consider the trade-offs worth making — some people have clearly put much thought into how to make the chairs look genuine at first glance to all but the hardened aficionado, whilst shaving every cost they can. And nothing short of an original would please people that dislike repros. I totally believe in the right to buy £300 side-chairs with pedigree and quality, but I’m afraid I can’t aspire to be one of them. The good people at Vitra haven’t lost my money — at ten times the cost, I’m sad to say I never would have been able justify buying an original.

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If you tripled the price of Mr Pennies to guarantee a raise in wages, component quality, patent costs and environmental considerations, would I be less tempted by a £30 repro? Quite possibly, but as everything below a Vitra is currently tarred as a low-quality repro, I’m not sure how you could trust any claims of one chair to be “better” than the others‡.

If somone sold these to me as originals, or they were sold at a price in-between £100-£300, I’d be furious, although partly at myself for not researching enough. In the modern google world, it doesn’t take much time to spot a bargain from a con.

No — I enjoy these chairs for what they are. They’re comfortable, attractive and reasonably priced. They allow me to kid myself I have some taste without the sticker shock. I’ve enjoyed seeing a glimpse of the story behind the production of the object and I like the “missing-link” feel of my £60 desk-chair. I still appreciate the quality and heritage of the Vitra “originals”, but I think Charles and Ray Eames might secretly be giggling somewhere that their design is finally a genuine mass-produced chair for the people.

Hi
I'm interested in why the Eames Plastic Chair is still so popular. Please answer the below questions if you are or have been a proud owner.

1. When and how did you first hear about or were made aware of this product? (year)

2. What were your first impressions of the product?

3. When did you first acquire the product?(year)

4. Did you purchase, inherit or receive the product?

5. If bought was the product brand new or second hand?

6. Do you regard the product as a ?classic?? Why?

7. What was it about the product that made you purchase it?
Please elaborate??.

8. What is your favourite aspect of the product? (e.g. aesthetics, function, cost etc.) Please elaborate??..

9. How does this product fit in with the rest of your furnishings? (in terms of aesthetics, design era, colour, material etc.) Please elaborate.......

10. Do you experience more from the product than just function? (e.g. empathy or meaning) Please explain why?

11. Why do you feel the design of the product has lasted through so many aesthetic trends?

12. Please try to sum up the aspects of the design which have caused the product to continue to be desirable to this day.

(Student research)

Many thanks

Interesting
We all talk about the classics, but often overlook why we love them.
1: First heard of them after acquiring an Eames Plywood Dining chair and researching the Eames methods.
2: Curious - they looked like an ordinary school chair.
3: 2-3 years after acquiring my first Eames chair (above)
4: Purchased vintage off of craigslist.
5: above
6: Yes, absolutely. The chair is a classic for a number of reasons IMO. It's form is comfortable, but not excessive. The shape is simple and clean and unfussy. The form and comfort have allowed it to pass through trends and remain viable.
7: All of the above, and also the playful nature of the Eames work. The first plastic chair i bought was lemon yellow - a bright, cheerful color.
8: Its comfort, durability, and look. Its pretty simple.
9: The chair has such a simple design that it fit rather nicely with the rest of my furnishings. It started out as a desk chair, then moved to a different desk, and then to a dining chair.
10: While the chair is just an object, it also symbolizes a method of working and exploring that I find rather intiguing. I dont think of that every time I sit down, but the presence of the chair is certainly a reminder.
11: Simplicity and function. Things that are overly complicated become out of date, both in appearance and function. The chair just fits most people. And the form is unobtrusive enough to avoid being stuck to any trend. It's accessibility also permits the owner to be part of a perceived luxury class - Eames furniture is never perceived as "cheap", even though the plastic chairs often are inexpensive. And certainly the durable nature of the materials contributes to their longevity.
12: In addition to the above features the chair now has an almost magic cachet. It is undeniably an icon, and that fact makes it desirable. At the same time its widespread distribution has provided access at a very basic level. Most people have encountered this chair whether they know it or not - at gas stations, laundromats, schools etc. It has done the very neat trick of being at once a commodity and a commonality. It has made its way so far into the cultural lexicon as a basic element of furniture that one almost has a hard time imaginging life without it.
Hope this helps!

1. When and how did you...
1. When and how did you first hear about or were made aware of this product?
This product was introduced to me as a classic. I was around 19 years old. An older friend of mine opened a furniture store mixed with his own vintage finding and new Herman Miller, Knoll, Cassina, Modernica, Offi, BluDot etc.
2. What were your first impressions of the product?
I thought it was fun. While I appreciated my parents' knack for antiques, this seemed more in line with my young, unquenchable interest in creativity. A chair that I actually wanted to own?? That's a weird concept for a 19 year old boy.
3. When did you first acquire the product?
I was 19 or 20.
4. Did you purchase, inherit or receive the product?
My actual first MCM purchase was a set of six two tone Bertoia dining chairs with orange pads. At the time I had a 48" table and decided I didn't need the other two. I traded them to a friend for three Eames shell chairs.
5. If bought was the product brand new or second hand?
They were vintage circa .
continued....

6. Do you regard the product...
6. Do you regard the product as a ?classic?? Why?
Yes, it was introduced to me that way.
7. What was it about the product that made you purchase it?
Please elaborate??.
The fella who made me aware of the Eames' told me about them with great enthusiasm. He was also a designer, and I was in school for print design. After looking at the Eames design book and seeing the breadth of the work I was convinced that CHarles and Ray were/are special. I wanted a by product of their process in my presence as inspiration.
8. What is your favourite aspect of the product? (e.g. aesthetics, function, cost etc.) Please elaborate??..
The simplicity and comfort. The initial thing that amazed me is that it was the first chair I knew of (and still) that you could rotate any number of bases on to change the aesthetic and function.
9. How does this product fit in with the rest of your furnishings? (in terms of aesthetics, design era, colour, material etc.) Please elaborate.......
Perfectly. How could it not?
10. Do you experience more from the product than just function? (e.g. empathy or meaning) Please explain why?
Yes, it serves as a reminder of the Eames' process and constant thirst to create.
11. Why do you feel the design of the product has lasted through so many aesthetic trends?
Because it's an honest design with the end user in mind with a modern aesthetic - too scaled back to ever be considered tacky or visually cumbersome. Not much you can say about this chair unless it's just too much like a school chair... That is the main complaint people have. But I don't know if I really see that as a negative. I really like how the Eames' more playful designs remind me of a more innocent age... it just depends on how you see it. That's exactly one of the things I love about their fiberglass and plywood chairs.
12. Please try to sum up the aspects of the design which have caused the product to continue to be desirable to this day.
It's modern without being cliche or trendy. It is/was offered in almost any color or base option you could wish for. It's comfortable. It's easy to use. It has passed the time test and has become a classic. Now it probably will never lose it's social, historical, & sentimental value to those who put great importance on art and design. And because of that, they even attract those who just wish to appear that way as well. That covers a large population of the modern world.

Read all the way down because I have a question (1/2)
Because this post is too long, it is now divided into two posts.
Almost two years after the first post, this contribution has probably no meaning at all. Yet, I'll answer all questions before I ask one of my own. Since apparently DSX involving research was done, someone may just know something!
1/2
1. In the year , I had to wait in some waiting room and there is was.
2. I didn't even really look at it, so my first impression was 'this is a great chair to sit in', then I looked closer and loved its shape. I didn't investigate any further at that time.
3. So after not seeing or noticing it for a long time, it wasn't until that I found out more about this chair and its history. I got my first one that same year.
4. Bought it through ebay. First a set of two, later an other one, and in another set of three.
5. All used and old. I wanted the original Herman Miller DSX fiberglass chairs.
6. Yes. Because of several reasons:
A. Production of this chair began over half a century ago, and is still running. Over the years there have been made changes to the material, and even the manufacturer itself changed, but the shape of the chair hardly did.
B. Due to the above, the chair is commonly known to an enormous amount of people around the world. Maybe not by name, but definitively by shape.
C. Being designed as low cost furniture, it was -manufacture wise- the first of its kind, enabling mass production. That alone makes it a classic, but the addition of A. and B. make this chair truly iconic.

Read all the way down because I have a question (2/2)
2/2
7. A combination of its iconic status, the pretty shape, comfort and easy to clean surface make it an ideal kitchen chair for me. My whole interior is a wide variety of both modern and classic furniture, industrial stuff and many many different colors. My DSX chairs belong here!
8. Can't name one thing specifically. It's the mix (see 7.)
9. Really well. For the fitting in part it all comes down to aesthetics if you ask me. Strangely, the DSX goes great with anything. Even my cats look good in it.
10. Sure, as a collector I feel very happy about owning such iconic pieces. Even though they were mass produced, they are special to me. I've put in some effort to lay my hand on two early produced chairs. Just for the fun of it. This however concerns my question...
11. The simplicity of a very basic shape makes it easy to blend in with any style or era. This is convenient for the manufacturer. The way I see it, it's not the people who decide what is trend and what not. It's manufacturers. And what is more beautiful than a very popular, cheap to make item? Nothing! The low production cost (Vitra manufactures it in plastic, super cheap and easy) make it interesting for Vitra to keep this baby on the market forever, and make its status even more iconic than it is. They are helped by almost every architect in the history of time, using pictures or scaled models of this chair to sell their designs. So, to answer the question: it's all marketing...
12. See all above.
Here comes my super important question: all fiberglass shells produced by Herman Miller have a logo at the bottom (changed over the years), accompanied by other markings. Does anyone knows what these markings mean, and what logo was used during what era? Some of the markings I have seen are a big 'C' with a star in the middle, a 'V', an 'M', a 'B', a 'B' with a smaller 'A'... I'm guessing it has to do with production information, but I can't find anything on the internet that can translate it. Help!

I first became aware of Eames chairs in after seeing a set of 4 black all-wire chairs on eiffel bases at a big yearly sale of some kind. The chairs looked like 3-dimensional "drawings" to me. I was pretty much down the Eames river after that experience.
Furniture never really mattered to me before that, but at that point I started hitting thrift shops and flea markets and every mid century modern shop I could find. I probably drove the dealers nuts with all of my questions.
I purchased my first arm shell around or 89... a seafoam green Zenith rope edged chair that to this day is still my main breakfast table chair.
I have around 20 shells now, and I only have room for about five so i rotate them. Bought some for 5 or 10 dollars, and paid hundreds for others.
I never get tired of the shells. They are better than most paintings in my opinion.
Thanks

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