Alexander Girard Office Chair

We recently reupholstered this Alexander Girard office chair for one of our clients. Girard's focus was textile design, but this chair was part of a group designed by Girard for Herman Miller and was produced between 1967 - 1968. Since they were only produced for 1 year, these pieces are highly collectible and difficult to find.

The lines are fresh, clean and contemporary, and as classic today as it was when introduced. Girard's furniture designs featured low lines and he liked having the interior and exterior  shell separate from the seat cushions, maximizing varied upholstery and textures.

We kept that aesthetic and in this case, the interior of the chair was reupholstered black cashmere, the exterior in black cowhide hair and trimmed in black leather. It's beautiful. For more information on our restoration & reupholstery services, be sure to visit our website or give us a call at 310.324.1600.

Custom Vanity Trio

A few months ago we were involved in a large redecorating project in Bel Air, California. Several of the pieces we custom made were for the owners master bathroom and dressing room.

While the pieces are all different, they echo the lines of French upholstered furniture from long ago, and are covered in an imported embroidered silk that has a very light hand.

Of course, the meticulous attention to detail, and the small finishing touches, really make these pieces stand out. They are as beautiful as they are practical.

Custom wood-framed Armchair

We recently finished this beautiful custom armchair, based on a Andre Sornay design, with several modifications.

It's a gorgeous example of the 1940's post-modernist era, with tailored simplicity and clean lines.

The wood is stained a warm espresso and the linen upholstery is as inviting as it is classic.

This is just another example of the spectacular work we do at our on-site  Torrance workshop - from start to finish, this piece was meticulously handcrafted. More examples of our custom work can be seen on our website.

Custom Sofa: The Molly Sofa

We call this piece the Molly Sofa; it is a Dutch-inspired 3-seat sofa with a solid hardwood frame and solid walnut base. As with all our custom furniture, this sofa is designed for comfort and practicality; the back cushions are removable in order to transform the sofa into a daybed.

It's a beautiful, classic piece. For more information on our custom furniture work, please visit the Classic Design website or give us a call at 310.324.1600.

Is your Eames chair Real or Fake? How to tell the difference.

Introduced in 1956, the Eames chair and ottoman became an instant classic and has sustained its' standing for more than 50 years. It is the perfect example of mid-century design and is extremely comfortable.

With something so good, there are bound to be replicas and fakes, so how do you tell the difference? Here are some key characteristics to check for:

• all real Eames chairs are made in plywood, with cherry, walnut, santos palisander or rosewood veneers.
• a real Eames Lounge Chair will have a five-legged base, and the Ottoman will have four legs. The bases should be die-cast.
• the cushions for the ottoman and seat cushions should be the exact same size, and the leather should be soft.
• the armrests should be slightly curved, not flat, and should have a separate piece of leather wrapped around the edge.
• finally, all originals do not have any visible screws or bolts, and should have natural rubber shock mounts and adjustable stainless steel glides.

The restoration and repair of these modern beauties is one of our specialties, and we are passionate about restoring these pieces exactly as they were originally designed and built. For more information about our expert restoration services, please visit the restoration section of our website or call us at 310.324.1600. If you are wondering if your Eames chair is real, feel free to send us a photo at info@classicdesignla.com. 

Before & after: 19th Century British Settee

It's always fun when we get a piece of history in the workshop, like this 19th century British settee. This piece was in sorry condition when it arrived; the fabric was worn and torn, there were gouges in the wood and the finish had deteriorated.

All it needed was  a little TLC from Classic Design.

And she is restored to her former glory!

We're back!

After a short hiatus, the Classic Design blog is back! Stay tuned!