wassily chair
an early 70's knoll version for $70 at gary's in the east village. sadly the store are no longer there.

in
that vintage store is still in business. they move to jersey city i think because the rent got too high.

420
I don't think I would classify your chair as a "find"; rather, stolen contraband (albeit from a McDonald's) might be a more accurate description.
:-)

Really?
With the user(s) shaking their fists at you in your rear-view mirror? I don't think I'd be boasting about THAT "find". . .

Ditto
That's not a 'find', that's a take.

fair trade
I consider the chair a fair trade to my obesity, clogged arteries, and hypertension that my love affair with Big Macs, french fries, and Oreo McFlurrys has caused me over the years. On some days, I'll even break down and get the Double Quarter pounder meal when I could just as easily get the same effect much cheaper from getting two double cheeseburgers off the value menu. And all the times I've ordered Supersize combos and wondered why *those* don't come with any cool toy or in a box with games and puzzles on it.

I could probably catch a couple hundred dollars selling this chair on eBay. And I can bet you that I'd treat myself to a Number Four with extra ketchup with part of that money. Twice.

As for the employee who gets $5.15 an hour with no health insurance, well, maybe we should talk to the CEO and see how much interest alone he's earned in one of his savings accounts. It would probably be enough to pay his employees a dollar more for their next ten paychecks and maybe a Barcelona chair (Knoll, not reproduction) for every district manager at Christmas. But don't blame me, I voted for the guy who wanted to increase minimum wage.

In the end, as I drove away and was immediately caught in a stoplight 200 feet away (where at that point they certainly had the chance to stop methen if they really wanted to), I *did* look in my rear view mirror at the two employees and they were laughing and cracking up, high fiving each other, screaming "you GO girl!",going all game show on me, I think they had other things that worried them more. They seemed quite amused at the situation. I go to McDonalds often enough to know that Managers and employees wear different shirts, you know, the whole hierarchy thing. It was a manager and an employee who had run after me, and it seemed the manager was having the harder time of the two containing herself.

So, as I sit back and admire my little golden yellow Saarinen chair,I dip another "all white meat" mcnugget into some sweet & sour sauce, I could only think of my chair's previous life where it was unloved and under-appreciated.

...
Fine, I'm going to hell for stealing a chair.

Who cares if she stole it??...
Who cares if she stole it?? Have you seen 'Supersize ME?" MacDonalds is a huge corporation that contributes to the obesity epidemic in children. Screw em'. Enjoy your chair.

I worked for a company that had over 500 Eames chairs. They crushed around 300 of them with a bulldozer and buried them when they were done. I wouldn't feel that bad for taking some. I'm sure that chair would have landed in a waste bin. Now it can be enjoyed by someone who cares for lifetimes to come.

ANYWAY- My best find:

In the basement of my office I found a very rare Eames sofa (a 3473 or Aluminum Group Sofa, which is a elaboration of the Eames sofa compact designed 10 years earlier). They gave it to me for free.

My next "find"
I was talking to my boss, an art deco fanatic, and I told him that I would like to own a knoll saarinen side table.

He said, "David, have you checked so and so's office - I bet those side tables are worth a lot."

I go to so and so's office, and sure enough, she has TWO used-but-not-abused knoll saarinen side tables that have been in the building for at least 10 years. I asked her if she wanted the tables. She waved her hands and said, "Those tables - egh - take 'em - they're junk."

Now I have to find a way to sneak them out of the building, past the security guards. (I don't know if the tables are owned by my employer - I just know that the tables have been passed around the building for years).

...
I'd be up for it, but David would wonder where the other table went.

He he ...
Love your humor, 420!

Koen, After reading of your...
Koen, After reading of your desire to straighten the front legs of a barcelona, even ever so slightly, I have to politely disagree. In looking at Meis' design, the front legs have a flatspot on the front inch or so of the frame, as to rest securely on the floor, same with the rear legs. I would think that straightening this out would cause the front legs to not have enough support, and may cause damage to the chair from pressure..not to mention the floor. Another problem that I forsee would be that the ottoman would need the same front leg straightening, thereby no longer being level, unless you straightened all four legs. This to me might look arthritic. But most important, the chair and ottoman would lose their graceful line. The two pieces would no longer flow together.

.
I think the seat has a bit of an overly theatrical lift to its front edge bad from a comfort stand point.Koen your reminding me of Loewys book: Never leave well enough alone!

COMFORT and SHOCK
seldom do the two meet!Pesces new design work has taken quite a turn do you like it?

Pesce Piece
The footstool had to be bought separately, but cam together with it, as you can see below. It is attached with a thick black elastic string that means the foostool doesn't go wondering around the room. And yes, it is very comfortable - my daughter practically lives on it!




http://www.europebynet.com/Detail_nn_sku_BBPFF004.html

Bought a table and 4 chairs i...
Bought a table and 4 chairs in 1956 paid about $400..raised 2 kids..5 yrs later sold chairs to used furniture store, stored table in attic. Five yrs ago while browsing in antique shop was made aware my Knoll table was now a valuable collectible. It is now in my DR, a cherished possesion, which to me is my best buy, tho I wish I had chairs too...and I still have a barcelona coffee table, purchased from Brancusi about 1965..think I paid $200.

3 modest things I love.

Koen, you are a blasphemer! Alter a 20th c design icon? Mies is surely swivelling in his grave. The nerve of you... I love it.

As for my garage finds? Well they don't really qualify as steals because I bought them from people who knew what they had but couldn't manage to sell at the usual elevated price... but I managed to buy:

2 ion chairs by Gideon Kramer in orange, stamped American Desk 1972 underneath, for $150 U.S. each. They were designed for the Seattle World Fair in 1962. I consider this chair to be one of the most beautiful fiber glass chair ever designed and by far the most comfortable...(now awaiting howls of protest from rabid Eames enthusiasts)

1 Gaetano Pesce "Fish Design" fruit bowl for which I paid $150 U.S. unexpectedly left over at the end of my second year in architecture school. I decided to buy myself something nice since I hadn't in such a long time and this object is still one of my most prized possessions. I approached Mr. Pesce at an interior design show once and told him that story. I brought the bowl with me in a knapsack knowing that he would be in attendance. He was very touched that I shared the story with him.

Oil and Vinegar bottle from Droog Design for 25$ U.S. A very clever object that works on the principle that oil and vinegar separates therefore it can be kept in the same vessel so long as there are two spouts, one placed at the top and the other at the bottom.

I'm going to start a complementary thread to this one about what objects you wish you owned.

Just luck.
I was walking pass MSG in NYC and found a ticket for Madonna concert that evening. I got in the stadium and my seat was 3rd row front and center of the stage. Few weeks ago, I found an expensive real gold bracelet lying on the floor in a club. It looks perfect on my wrist while I am typing this post.

.
Four T.H. Robsjohn -Gibbings Klismos chairs by Sardis of Athens circa 1961.

Oh, I also once ...
bought two wire cone chairs by Verner Panton (Pluslinje) from an old lady. One chair was painted red and was missing the back and seat cushion. The other was very worn down but with both cushions. They had been standing in her flowershop since the early 1960's and then stored in a basement for 10 years. I bought them for $300 (incl. spiderwebs) and sold them for $1300.

Hi Sdr, After a closer...
Hi Sdr, After a closer examination, and sans the cat hair, I now see that there are no flat spots on the barc legs. The bullnose edge of the legs come to a gentle rest on the woodfloors . Sorry!

Thankfully, mine haven't...
Thankfully, mine haven't scratched/dented the floor (yellow oak). Probably because the steel is so smooth, and the sharp edge on the end of the legs are slightly rounded. The steel on the otherhand scratches real easy. Mine look like they picked a fight with the vacuum cleaner... and lost.

I'm 23. you must think i...
I'm 23. you must think i wear diapers.

BTW - what a great find at a great price.

i foudn 2 barcelona on a porch in the ghetto. after i inspected them they were rusty and worn and i was too afraid to knock!

for starters there was a...
for starters there was a group of 6 guys across the street doing drugs in the middle of the day. They looked pretty rough, like they might be in a gang......I was ready to leave.