Collecting
The Story of My New Old Fake Chair
About 5 years ago I was rummaging around a massively over stocked junk store and out of the corner of my eye I spied what I thought was gold… mid-century modern gold. After making the guy in the store climb up to the top of of what seemed like very precarious warehouse shelving to dig out this chair I was sure I’d found an original Folke Ohlsson DUX armchair. I was absolutely sure of it! The foam had disintegrated, the harvest gold upholstery was worn and ripped beyond repair. I didn’t care – I sat in it and it was heaven. I bought it for $200. Crazy, I know. But I was sure it was a DUX and I’d just found a fantastic deal.
I learned two things very quickly. Firstly, the chair is not by Folke Ohlsson. Even though the body shape is exactly the same as a DUX armchair, on closer inspection the teak frame gave it away. I was crestfallen, but still, I had the frame of a chair with fabulous bones, and it was incredibly comfy even though falling apart. I told myself it was still a deal.
Second thing I learned is that reupholstering a chair is not cheap. At all. Suddenly the deal wasn’t so much of a deal.
Resigned, but not willing to give up the chair, I put it in storage and always fancied there would come a day that I’d have it in my livingroom. Well, 5 years later thanks to my generous parents and a milestone birthday, my faux DUX was reborn. And she’s beautiful. And comfortable. And bright orange. And I don’t care now that she’s not the Real McCoy. My fake is still a shining example of a mid-century modern teak armchair.
Anyway, that was my biggest lesson–if you fall in love with a piece of furniture, don’t worry about a name, just buy it. However, I’m still kicking myself that I didn’t buy the Percival Lafer coffee table that was sitting next to it in the junk store. It was $60. There’s a regret I won’t soon forget.
Tagged Danish Teak, DUX, Fake, Folke Ohlsson, Mid-century Modern
MidCenturyHomeFebruary 16, 2011 at 7:06 am
Is an amazing chair and I personally love it
Consider how much it would cost a new one with the same design..but not an original from Mid-Century….in the end I’m sure you did saved money!
Thanks for sharing.
Ciao!
chairsmithFebruary 16, 2011 at 8:07 am
A gorgeous chair that has been beautifully reupholstered – a real find!
Generous ParentsFebruary 16, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Happy birthday luv. Your chair is absolutely beautiful and we could not have selected a better gift for you. Enjoy.
Dan MartinMay 25, 2011 at 3:34 pm
I understand its difficult when you get your hopes up, however this is a truly great piece. Enjoy your wonderful chair.
CarmenMay 27, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Functional yet good looking.These chairs in all variety look very cool and functional.