Rescue, refurbish…

Eames Sofa Compact.  Direct from the horse’s mouth (in this case, the Herman Miller website):

“The Eames sofa compact started out as a built-in sofa in the Pacific Palisades home that Charles and Ray Eames designed for themselves in the 1940s. They liked the sofa so much that they developed a freestanding version—first in wire, then the current model, which has been in continuous production since 1954.

The design, which looks nothing like the big, plush traditional sofa, is crisp and light scaled. And while it's perfect for smaller rooms and smaller spaces—in which a traditional sofa would look bulky and out of place—it also lives beautifully in larger rooms in which an airy, modern look is desired”

 Before the rework.   Note the poor condition of the fabric and also that the metal frame had not been well maintained, and in certain areas, had been repainted with what appears to be cheap spray-paint.  The chrome legs were badly tarnished, but did not require new electro-plating as come elbpw greese and polish did the trick. 

I “rescued” this model from a collector who had been using it as a bed (!!!).  The fabric is original, and my upholstery guy (thanks DL @ Remnants – go check him out!) suggested I reserve it in case I want to make some funky pillows.  This is a reserve piece for me – I found it without having a specific use for it – and is therefore refinished in a neutral wool fabric that can easily go anywhere when it is ready to be a feature piece.   

After the rework.   I decided to keep the original springs and spring brackets as they remind the viewer that this is a vintage piece.  

There are two basic versions of this sofa: (i) the “original” design, which folds down into a (cough cough) compact piece that is great for smaller rooms; and (ii) the updated version that doesn’t fold, so amended as people were concerned about getting things (fingers) caught in the folding mechanism.   I am not a purist, but if you change something so much that it no longer makes sense to call it “compact”, then it’s not the same thing at all.   The seller represented that this was the latter, which then would require some machining in order to convert it into a fake “real” version.    The lesson in this case is never trust that everyone knows basic mechanics.   Upon some inspection, or rather unscrewing two blots, my new sofa folded…it is older than the seller believed, and is clearly an original design.   That makes it at least an early 60’s model, and perhaps a 50’s model.   

I bought the sofa for $1,000.   From there, I have spent ~$150 on powder-coating, $125 on new fabric, and another $800 on having the upholstery work.   In all, I am into this for ~$2,100, one of my more expensive projects.   If it were for sale, I would be able to get north of $4,000 and perhaps as much as $5,000…another nice “p.a.” trade to keep in my basement.  

UPDATE.   The original fabric on this sofa appears to be Alexander Girard for Herman Miller, and more specifically one of his Mexicotton pieces.  The fabric was likely made in ~1960, which reaffirms my assertion as to this sofa's age.    I am going to reclaim the fabric as well and look for a "correct project".   Bolts of similar fabric are part of the SF MOMA collection, and well for ~$250/yard (!!!).   Granted my pieces aren't in perfect condition, but the sofa has ~5 yards of the fabric...nice.  http://www.architonic.com/dcsht/mexicotton-wright/4100690.