Furniture Reporter

Interest in vintage furniture is at an all time high with shows and auctions commanding top-dollar for your grandmother’s tired old Danish modern dining set.  Scores of national chain retailers such as Design Within Reach, Modernica and Room & Board offer good replicas of many pieces, or contemporary licensed “originals”.  But when buying vintage – whether from a dealer or an individual – how do you know you’re getting an authentic piece?  A trained eye knows how to spot the details. 

Le Corbusier LC2 chair

There are too many designers and styles to deal with in a single post, so today I’ll deal with Le Corbusier – designer of the ever-popular cube-like chrome and black leather LC2 and LC3 chairs or glass-topped steel LC6 dining tables.  These pieces may seem ubiquitous because they seem to be available everywhere at every price point.  And that’s because anyone can make a chair that looks like a Corbusier as long as they vary it just enough to not infringe on the trademark.  They can vary the dimensions, throwing the proportions off.  Or the termination of the legs may be different.  The welds will almost always be rough.  And if it’s vintage and shows any rust, it’s most certainly not the real thing as they never, ever rust.

If you’re buying new, there’s only one source for an original – Cassina.  They have their own stores in select cities and sell through other retailers everywhere.  So if you want the real thing, just ask if it’s made by Cassina and check the tag and paperwork that comes with it.  But if you’re buying vintage, know what to look for and never take the dealer’s word for it – it’s amazing how often they’re wrong.

Here are my rules for buying a Corbusier LC series chair:

Rule 1:  If it’s cheap, it’s fake.  An authentic LC2 or LC3 chair starts at $3,200 new and prices range from $2,000 and up for good vintage pieces.  If you think you’re getting a bargain for much less than that, the joke’s on you.

Rule 2:  Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s real.  There are a lot of good fakes – some are even better-made than the real thing – but they are not going to retain their value like the real thing.  And ignorant (or ambitious) sellers can ask outrageous prices.

Rule 3:  Know where to find the serial number.  On Le Corbusier’s LC2 and LC3 chairs, feel under the upper-most chrome bar on the left arm of the chair.  Authentic chairs have a serial number etched into the chrome – you can feel the bumps with your fingers.  On some vintage pieces, the placement of the serial number may vary – sometimes it’s behind the backrest or on the right arm bar – but most years it was on the left side.

From the Cassina website: “According to the designer’s heirs “all pieces of furniture which do not bear the logotype Cassina, the signature of Le Corbusier and the production number are counterfeits”. All authentic Le Corbusier furniture is indelibly marked with the indicia shown below.”

A great side-by-side analysis of the real thing vs. a knock-off can be seen here.

If you can’t afford the real thing but want a good fake, look at the weld seams and the legs.  The legs should end cleanly with a chrome end-piece – not with a rubber cap and not with tapered ends.

In future postings, I will write about Mies van der Rohe’s “Barcelona” chair and ottoman, Arne Jacobsen’s “Egg” and “Swan” chairs, Eames’ Lounge Chair and Ottoman and other iconic – and often imitated pieces.