March 31, 2008 · design
Design Within Reach

You'd assume that there's some significant quality gap justifying the premium on an
authentic Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair (shown, $5027) over a knock-off (like you'd
find on Ebay for $800). But a quick visit to a DWR shop for a test-sit shows them to be
equally uncomfortable. Combined with the shark-jumping appearance of modern furniture
on Stuff
White People Like and the emergence of truly great contemporary pieces by living
designers, one gets the sense that overpaying to turn your house into a mid-century theme
park might be on its way out.