The Price is Right

My mom and I have slooowly been redecorating her house over the past couple months. Nothing major - just CraigsList-ing some of the older, tired pieces for new, sleeker ones. While scouring decorating magazines and my new Domino book (that I am completely obsessed with), I've become more and more familiar with designer furniture. Honestly, I knew nothing about it before. I thought WilliamsSonoma Home was as high-end as it gets (don't get me wrong - it is ridiculously overpriced). These famous designs are were often made famous years ago - sometimes more than a century - but continue to be produced and permeate modern decorating. Depending on the piece, you can pay thousands of dollars for a single chair. Case in point:

The Barcelona Chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1929 is still a sought-after piece.

Available at www.dwr.com for $4,328.00-$5,329.00

A copy of the Barcelona chair.

Available at www.euromoderno.com for $479.00

Another famous design, Michael Thonet's Bentwood chairs from the 1830s, seen in any and every cafe in Europe, sell for $300 to over a thousand dollars. You can often buy antique sets on ebay, but it'll cost you a pretty penny.

Seen here:

Available at www.bauhaus2yourhouse.com for $388.00

Or a more affordable version:

Available at www.restorationhardware.com for $145.00

As of right now, we're thinking the RH Thonet-inspired chairs would be great sans-cushion for the vintage kitchen table my mom already owns -- we are planning on staining it a deep espresso. It would look something like this -- dark table, light chairs:

As for the Barcelona knock-off, I'd love it in white. It would work in my office, my bedroom, or it would look perfect in a condo living room if I ever make it into the city.