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?

Etsy Find of the Day: Spruce Home Poppy Bench

News of Spruce Home's lovely Etsy shop has been making its way around the blogosphere, so I don't want to rehash what other bloggers have already covered. But I did want to let you all know that the shop has recently been restocked with some great new rehabbed vintage furniture.

My absolute favorite is this sweet bench, reupholstered with a colorful and graphic modern floral pattern: Perfection in an entryway or at the end of a bed. It's quite reasonable at $215, and shipping (via Greyhound) is free.

(Continuing our dog theme today, how cute is that little chihuahua??? If I buy the bench, do you think the ladies from Spruce might throw in the pooch, too?)

See all of Spruce Home's Etsy offerings right here.