Double Take: Aalto and IKEA Stools

Left: Artek's iconic Stool 60, designed in 1933 by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, $235 from AllModern. Right: Frosta Stool, $13 at IKEA.

Granted, the IKEA stool has an extra leg and a less-refined birch finish -- but otherwise, these are pretty much the same exact stool.

Which would you pick?

(Spotted via Retro to Go.)

Double Take: Urban Outfitters and George Nelson Wood Slat Benches

Yet more strangely familiar home furnishings from Urban Outfitters ...

This time, Urban takes on a modern classic: George Nelson's 1946 Platform Bench for Herman Miller. Urban's Haruki Slat Bench is $225; the officially licensed Nelson design is $629 at Hive Modern. I've always admired Nelson's simple, versatile design, which can be used as either a coffee table or seating.

In comparison, I'm not crazy about the relative flimsiness or the arched, Asian-contempo styling on the legs of Urban Outfitters' version. But the price is pretty nice.

If you're going to go for a cheap ripoff, though -- and I don't necessarily recoil in horror at the thought, especially for those of us on an Urban-size budget and especially when a large corporate entity is ripping off a decades-old iconic design vs. still-struggling indie designers -- I prefer this one, $229 from Modern Collections. At least it mimics the chunkiness and the mix of wood tones that Nelson used in his original.

Still, since the difference is hundreds rather than thousands of dollars -- and since the original platform bench has stood the test of time for over 60 years -- I think I'd go for the real thing.

What about you?

Double Take: Pottery Barn and IKEA Rugs

Do my eyes deceive me, or are these two rugs -- the one on the left from Pottery Barn, the one on the right from IKEA -- actually one in the same? (And if so, who's ripping off whom here?)

Pottery Barn's Pieced Awning Stripe Mat (shown here in blue, though it also comes in black like IKEA's) is 100 percent cotton, and runs $109 for a 5-by-8 and $179 for an 8-by-10.

IKEA's Stockholm Rand Rug (shown here in Nicole Balch of Making It Lovely's dining room) is made from 100 percent wool, and costs $179 for the 5.5-by-(almost)8-foot size and $299 for the 8-by-11.5-foot size.

I can't believe I'm about to write this, but not only is the IKEA version pricier, it sounds like it may actually be the better quality of the two. (God, how often can you say that about an IKEA product versus practically anything else? It's like we're in Bizarro World or something ... )

Anyone seen both of these in person and care to weigh in on their relative appearance and quality?

Double Take: Sunflower and Lotus Clocks

On the left: George Nelson's 1958 Sunflower Clock manufactured by Vitra, $1,015 at HiveModern. On the right: The Lotus Clock made by Dutch design company Karlsson, 85 pounds sterling (about $170) at Contemporary Heaven.

Same design, same size (29.5 inches), different materials (plywood vs. plastic).

It's always time for a good rip-off, I guess. Still, I'd be hard-pressed to shell out more than a thousand bucks for the official, licensed version -- as amazing as it is. What about you?

Double Take: Inhabit and IKEA Tree Panels

Inhabit's "Timber" Triptic Slats Hanging Panels, $348 for three six- by two-foot panels, plus hanging poles.

IKEA's Anno Unni Curtain Panels, $30 for two nine- by two-foot panels. Hanging hardware sold separately.

Hmmm ... I wonder which came first?

Cool Stuff: Crate & Barrel Channels the Past

Housewares giant Crate & Barrel is looking to the past for some of its new tableware and accessory designs.

The company's new line of Classic Century Dinnerware (above, $10 to $268) is a resurrection of Eva Zeisel's highly collectible circa-1952 tableware designs, one of which I blogged here yesterday. (If you prefer the originals, there are plenty to be found on eBay and from retailers specializing in vintage goods.)

And the Rimini Vase, $60, and Decorative Bowl, $80, are two more reproduction midcentury offerings from Crate & Barrel. The pieces, first introduced in 1953, were designed by Italian icon Aldo Londi for Bitossi Ceramiche Artistiche and are still sought after by aficionados of midcentury pottery.

(Again, vintage versions abound in high-end secondhand stores and on eBay. Clockwise below is a sampling of Bitossi originals currently available on the auction site: Pitcher, horse, vase, bird, vase, raised bowl.)

Double Take: Abaca and Random Lights

I've been harboring a thing for Dutch designer Bertjan Pot's Random Light forever. I want one for our dining room so bad it hurts, but the price -- more than $1,500 for the large size -- has stopped me.

So last night while I was leafing through the latest West Elm catalog (I know I said no more chain stores, but I was only looking ... ), my heart skipped a beat when I saw the company's new Abaca Pendant. It's a little bit similar, no? (And West Elm is certainly no stranger to design knockoffs.)

Let's compare:

West Elm Abaca Pendant, $79 to $129

Moooi Random Light: small, $660, and medium, $860, at Design Within Reach; large, $1,505, at YLighting

To my eye, the ethereal, delicate, and almost-translucent epoxy and fiberglass Random Light has much more drama and presence. West Elm's banana-fiber version is earthier, chunkier, and not nearly as graceful. The smaller size (the West Elm pendants range from about 9 to 16 inches in diameter, compared to the Random Light's 20 to 43 inches) also creates far less impact.

But when you consider the savings -- almost $600 to more than $1,350 -- the trade-offs might not be so hard to swallow.

What do you think?

Double Take: Urban Outfitters and Clarence House

Gee, this Flowering Branch Bedspread, $34 at Urban Outfitters, looks a little familiar, eh?

Photo: Gemma Comas for Domino

Hmmm ... does it maybe remind you a tiny bit of Kazumi Yoshida's Flowering Quince wallpaper for Clarence House?

I'm just sayin'.

Deal of the Day: Moderndose "S" Chairs

Through December 1, online retailer Moderndose is offering a two-for-one deal on its "S" chairs: Buy one chair for $245 and get the second free.

The molded plastic chairs -- which come in white, black, green, red, and orange -- are a copy of Verner Panton's iconic 1967 chair for Vitra. (So how you feel about this sale will depend on how you feel about knockoffs -- generally, I'm OK with them as long as the price is right and the "inspiration" is explicitly acknowledged, as it is here. It's worth noting, though, that you can get a licenced repro of the Panton chair from retailers like DWR or HiveModern for $230 each. The original fiberglass version will run you $1,250 or more.)

Whether you go for an original, a reproduction, or a knockoff, I think these chairs look especially great in white and grouped around a rustic wooden table for contrast. You can stack up to four of them for easy storage, too -- which makes them handy extras to have on hand for dinner parties or upcoming holiday gatherings.

Learn more about Moderndose's special deal on the chairs right here.

Double Take: Urban Outfitters and Evo Noche Pillowcases

Call me crazy, but did Urban Outfitters just totally snake these new illustrated-pillowcase designs from Bay Area indie designers Evo Noche? (If so, it wouldn't be the first time in recent memory.)

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Evo Noche: Satellite, Adjust, and Cage cases ($16 each)

Urban Outfitters: Fancy Chandelier, Guitar and Amp, and Dreaming of Paris cases ($24 per pair)

Stark, black-on-white color scheme: Check.

Sweetly punk, vaguely industrial vibe: Check.

Pen-and-ink-style illustrations of objects not normally seen on bedding: Check.

I leave the verdict to you.

Cool Stuff: Mokusei Light

I oohed and aahed over this pendant light when I saw it at Berkeley's Vessel recently.

(Though the proprietor looked at me like I was some kinda craaazay when I mentioned that it sort of reminded me of IKEA's Knappa Klover pendant, above -- only, you know, way more beautiful. I'm not crazy, though, am I?)

The Mokusei (Japanese for "Jupiter," presumably because of its celestial appearance) comes in a flat-pack (hey -- kind of like the IKEA pendant!) of 20 triangular pieces of cherry veneer, which you fit together like a 3D puzzle. Use all 20 pieces to form the spherical shape shown above, or 10 pieces each to make two of the smaller configurations pictured below.

Available for $225 from Tortoise. (The cord and light socket themselves are not included, but you can pick them up at any good hardware store.)

Low to High: Egg Chairs

I've been noticing a lot of furniture "inspired by" the classics lately -- everything from subtle homages to straight-up ripoffs -- as well as some very similar styles in non-trademarked designs that are available at a startlingly wide range of price points.

So I'm trying out a new blog feature called "Low to High" that will compare the high-end designs and the knockoffs side-by-side. (Please feel free to alert me to other examples, and to share your thoughts on buying high vs. low -- and the quality and aesthetic compromises that entails.)

Here, we have Arne Jacobsen's iconic 1958 Egg Chair. Well-preserved originals and authorized reproductions, which are made from the original plans and often by the same manufacturer at the same factory as the real deal, command several thousand dollars. Unauthorized reproductions are a bit less, but probably don't quite measure up in terms of quality of construction and materials, as well as investment value. Finally, there are the pieces that are clearly modeled on the original, but that sell for a fraction of the cost -- and often offer a fraction of the quality and long-term value.

To wit:

Top to bottom and left to right: IKEA Karstad Swivel Chair, about $490; Commander Swivel Chair, $499, from EQ3; "Bolero" Egg Chair Reproduction, $1,150, from Modern Furniture Classics; Egg Chair in wool, $4,892, from Hive Modern; Egg Chair in leather, $10,680, from Design Within Reach

Clearly, DWR's authorized leather Egg is the best-looking of the bunch, and will likely retain its value in the long run. But is it $10K worth of better looking? I guess that depends on your standards -- and your bank balance. Hive Modern's wool version -- which is also manufactured in Denmark by Fritz Hansen, the maker of the original Egg -- is equally swanky. The Bolero looks OK, but I don't think I'd spend more than a grand on a chair whose provenance and authenticity was a little murky. EQ3's polyester-covered Commander just looks a bit saggy, sad, and shabby in comparison to the others.

Personally, I think the IKEA Karlstad is a fine-looking chair at a reasonable price, and it's upholstered in real wool. (This chair is currently available only in the United Kingdom, but I'm hoping it hits these shores soon.) Of course, being from IKEA, I know that it will probably fall apart in a few years. Maybe someday I'll be in more of a position to choose "investment pieces." But for now, that's my pick.

What's yours?

Trendspotting: Inspiration or Imitation?

The arrival the other day of the latest CB2 catalog, coupled with my recent post about West Elm's new offerings, got me thinking: At what point does furniture "inspired" by midcentury design classics cross the line to outright mimicry?

Consider these examples:


Top left: CB2's Odyssey Table ($149); top right: IKEA's Docksta Table ($149); bottom: Eero Saarinen's iconic 1956 Tulip Table ($3,150 at Design Within Reach).

Left: CB2's Tornado Table ($119); right: Warren Platner's 1966 Side Table ($662 at Highbrow Furniture).


Left: West Elm's Patterned Veneer Coffee Table ($349); right: Milo Baughman's Burl and Chrome Coffee Table ($3,400 at 1stdibs).


Top left: CB2's Hippie Arm Chair ($229); top right: West Elm's Round Back Chair ($199); bottom: Hans Wegner's 1949 Wishbone Chair ($499 at House of Copenhagen).

Left: CB2's Double Dip Lamp ($199); right: Achille Castiglioni's circa-1962 Arco Lamp ($2,448 at DWR).

Left: West Elm's Sphere Pendant ($99); right: George Nelson's 1947 Ball Lamp ($299 at Velocity Art and Design).

Left: West Elm's Molded Desk Chair ($149); right: Charles and Ray Eames' 1948 Molded Plastic Armchair ($279 at Highbrow Furniture).

Left: West Elm's Scoop Back Chair ($79); right: Arne Jacobsen's 1955 Series 7 Chair ($394 at Retro Modern).

Left: West Elm's Wire Mesh Occasional Chair ($229); right: Harry Bertoia's 1952 Side Chair ($483 at Hive Modern).

Left: West Elm's Modern Storage Console ($599); right: Paul McCobb's 1950 Planner Group Credenza ($1,000 on eBay).

Clearly, these mass-produced knockoffs are more than "inspired" by the originals. Is that theft, or flattery? Would you rather spend thousands of dollars for a vintage, signed original or a licensed repro, or a fraction of that for a decent (if somewhat dishonest) imitation?

Personally, I'm more in the gimme-the-knockoff camp than the nothing-but-the-real-stuff crowd. If I stumbled on a mint-condition Saarinen table at a garage sale for $100, I'd be all over it. But, barring that, I don't have $3,150 for a simple white table (and I'd think twice about dropping that kind of cash even if I did) -- so I own the $149 IKEA Docksta. I feel a tiny bit guilty about it, but I'm not losing sleep at night.

How about you?