Eames Lounge Chair

One of the most iconic, and copied, chairs is the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, in continuous production for over 50 years. The husband and wife team, Charles and Ray Eames, were pioneers in the use of bent and molded plywood for production of beautiful objects designed for everyday use.  In fact, they were commissioned by the US Navy to design a lighter, cheaper leg splint that ended up as part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection.

As beautiful and treasured as this chair is, many people do not take proper care of its soft, thin leather. While available in many coverings, black leather is the original and most widely sold. I have one myself and, before training as a Fibrenew leather repair expert, regrettably abused my leather through neglect, resulting in cracking, stretching and tearing of the seat bottom.  After only six or seven years, the seat was a mess!

But armed with my excellent training and Fibrenew’s unique line of proprietary materials and processes, I was able to restore my Eames to a beautiful finish with which only close inspection reveals its former desperate state.

In working on the chair, I discovered a couple of hints that might have helped avoid the problems. Of course, make sure you keep your leather properly conditioned, preferably with Fibrenew’s Leather Care Cleaner and Protector Kit (mention this blog posting and receive a free kit with any job by Fibrenew Manhattan Central over $100).

Second, note that the seat and ottoman cushions are exactly the same, so periodically, swap one for the other to reduce wear and tear on the seat. The cushions can be removed by prying up the back side to un-do a push clasp, then push the cushion forward to release it from the clips. Do NOT lift the cushion out, all that will do is break the cushion backing and tear out the holding clips.

The moral of the story is, either take care of your leather furniture, or get to know your local Fibrenew technicians.

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