It isn’t hard to understand why discerning furniture buyers would want to find the best Eames chair replica on the market.
In addition to being a sleek and sophisticated piece of furniture, it is – to use a technical term usually reserved for advanced architecture classes – one sexy-ass chair.
Named for husband-wife furniture designers Charles Eames and Ray Eames, the Herman Miller furniture company began selling the original Eames lounge chair back in 1956, and to this day it’s considered one of the most significant designs of the 20th century.
But if you’re looking to add an authentic Eames lounge chair to your living room today, there’s good news and bad news.
The good news is that the original manufacturer, the Herman Miller company, has kept the iconic chair and ottoman set in continuous production since its debut, so you can still buy it today.
The bad news is that the price tag for authentic Eames chairs is, to use another technical term, batsh*t f@¢&ing crazy.
As of this writing, buying the real thing at full price would cost you nearly $7,000 (😱 !!!!), and with inflation being crazy right now, that could easily increase by the time you read this.
A Replica Chair to the Rescue
But – but! – fortunately for furniture shoppers with great taste and limited budgets, there’s more good news.
Nowadays there are a number of brands selling high-quality replicas that mimic the iconic design of the original chair, but cost a helluva lot less.
Truth be told, there are actually a ton of suspiciously cheap replica chair options on sites like Amazon and Wayfair, which makes finding a good eames chair replica a little tricky.
After pouring over all the options – and actually trying a few firsthand – below I’ve rounded up what I consider to be the best dupes on the market.
Our Top Picks↓
You can jump to each chair using the table of contents below to see (a lot) more info about each one, but here’s a quick summary your best bets, based on our research:
- Best Value Eames Chair Replica: Sohnne Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman Replica
- Best Cheap Option: Cottinch Mid Century Lounge Chair
Who Wrote This Article
Irreverent Gent Founder and Editor-in-Chief Dave Bowden has been both a service journalist and a mid-century modern enthusiast for more than a decade. His style advice and shopping recommendations have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, and Men’s Health, among many other outlets.
How We Created This List
Faithfulness to
Original Design
Materials &
Construction
Personal and
Online Reviews
Overall, the three main criteria we used to assess each Eames replica were their fidelity to the design of the original, the quality of their materials and the experience of real users who have assembled and sat in each chair.
In two cases we were sent chairs for editorial consideration and independently reviewed product samples firsthand, so first and foremost we drew from our own personal experience in assessing their quality and value. (One of the options we’ve personally tried is indicated below; the other is not included in our list.)
Next we took a close look at the design of each chair to see how its style and aesthetic compares to the Herman Miller original, and examined the materials, construction and quality of each chair to determine how much value it provides in relation to its price point, and other comparable replicas in the same price range.
Finally, for those we couldn’t try in-person, we did a deep dive into user reviews to find out what real people had to say after purchasing each one to try and assess how the real-life version compared to the sales pages online.
To learn more about how we rate and review products, check out our product review and round up policy here.
The Best Replicas of the Iconic Eames Lounge Chair
Rounding Up the Best-Value Alternatives to a (Really Expensive) Real Eames Chair
Best Value Eames Chair Replica ↓
Sohnne Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman Replica
Note: In addition to the info below, I’ve also put together a full, in-depth review of Sohnne’s Eames lounger and ottoman replica, where you can find a lot more detail if you’re interested.
Specs:
- Price: $1,549
- Tried in Person? ✅
- Upholstery:
- Material Type: 100% Top-grain genuine leather
- Colors Available: 2
- Frame:
- Material Type: 8-layer plywood
- Colors Available: 3
- Base Material: Stainless Steel
- Cushions Material: Polyurethane-injected foam
- Warranty: 1 year
Why We Like It:
Sohnne’s Eames replica has the same classic style as the authentic chair, which includes everything from the overall look – which Charles Eames famously described as the “warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman mitt” – to smaller design hallmarks, like the rubber shock mounts under the armrests.
But all of the replicas on this list do a pretty good job of mimicking the mid-century modern design of the original Herman Miller chair. What really makes Sohnne’s the best option is the materials it uses, which surpass almost every other fake Eames lounge chair on the market.
The ply wood shells are made from 8-layer plywood, making them the thickest and sturdiest on this list, while the base is made of strong and durable stainless steel, which will help it last longer and stand the test of time. And it’s an undeniably comfortable chair thanks to the removable cushions filled with high density polyurethane-injected foam.
The only category where it doesn’t rank first is the leather quality. It uses 100% top grain leather, which is slightly lower in quality than the 100% full grain leather used by the Iconic Chair listed below. Otherwise, Sohnne’s model uses the highest quality materials, and has pretty much everything you could want from a good Eames chair dupe.
But the best part is probably the price-to-value ratio that it provides. At about 1500 bucks, Sohnne’s chair is middle-of-the-pack; it’s around $250 cheaper than another high quality replica, The Iconic Chair, and about $200 more than the Bed, Bath & Beyond model listed below.
But it’s on-par or above The Iconic Chair in terms of overall quality, and significantly better than the Bed, Bath & Beyond model, which is only slightly less expensive. (Plus, Sohnne offers free shipping in the U.S.)
In addition, Sohnne’s received good reviews online from sites like Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau, which is especially comforting when you’re ordering a big-ticket item like a piece of furniture.
Why Some Might Not:
While Sohnne’s offering is a good overall alternative to the real deal, the main knock against it is the color options, or lack thereof.
It only comes in either black or white leather, and just three options for the base:
The black leather version is available in black ashwood, palisander or walnut wood, while the white version is only available in palisander and walnut.
The lack of color options isn’t a huge deal if you’re trying to replicate the classic look of the original, but if you wanted to add a punch of color to your living space or home office, The Iconic Chair model below is probably your best bet.
Best Cheap Option ↓
Cottinch Mid Century Lounge Chair
Specs:
- Price: $599
- Upholstery:
- Material Type: Top Grain Leather
- Colors Available: 2
- Frame:
- Material Type: Plywood
- Colors Available: 3
- Base Material: Die-cast steel
- Cushions Material: Unclear
- Warranty: Not included, but available for extra fee (3 year = $58, 4 year = $77)
Why We Like It:
I haven’t tried this one myself, and considering how low the price is on Walmart’s website, I think there’s good reason to be skeptical about the quality.
But if you’re on a tight budget, there’s also good reason to give this one a look.
First and foremost, from the photos it looks like the fidelity to the original is quite high; it appears to be just as faithful of a replica as the Sohnne and Iconic Chair furniture designs.
Secondly, it’s got 4.6 stars after 198 reviews at the time of this writing, which is quite a good score. Of the 198 reviews, 175 of them are either 4 or 5 star, while only 12 are two-stars or below.
When you dig into the reviews further, most people are pretty satisfied overall. Some people had trouble with the assembly (which I can relate to), but were happy once they got the thing built.
Why Some Might Not:
Again, the price is so low that it’s almost concerning.
Walmart’s website is currently doing that thing where it strikes through a higher price – $1,399 – then has the actual price, $599.99, listed in big green numbers beside it.
So, I’m not sure if this is actually a 1400-dollar chair that’s just an absolute steal, or a 600-dollar chair that they’re just saying should cost 1400 elsewhere.
Latitude Run Genuine Leather Swivel Standard Recliner with Ottoman
Specs:
- Price: $1,069
- Upholstery:
- Material Type: Genuine leather
- Colors Available: 6
- Frame:
- Material Type: “Solid + manufactured wood” (whatever that means…)
- Colors Available: 5
- Base Material: Lacquered aluminum alloy
- Cushions Material: High-density sponge
- Warranty: 30 Days
Why We Like It:
This version from Latitude Run is priced somewhere in between my top-two picks, and the Walmart cheapy listed above.
It uses genuine leather and comes in a really wide range of color options for both the cushions and the wooden frame, including a unique yellow leather color that looks pretty cool on vintage chairs.
And it’s available on Wayfair, so you probably won’t have to wait a long time to get it delivered.
Why Some Might Not:
This one doesn’t have as many reviews as the cheaper Walmart chair listed above.
It has 4.6 stars, but only 12 people have reviewed it on Wayfair, so there’s not as much heft behind the scores.
If you’re willing to spend 1,000 bucks or more on an Eames-inspired chair (which I would recommend, because it’s hard to get solid quality for less than that) I would probably just shell out the extra few hundred for a Sohnne chair.
Bed, Bath & Beyond Mid-century Modern Leather Arm Chair and Ottoman Set
Specs:
- Price: $1,382
- Upholstery:
- Material Type: Top-grain Italian leather
- Colors Available: 7
- Frame:
- Material Type: Plywood
- Colors Available: 4
- Base Material: Die-cast aluminum
- Cushions Material: Unclear
- Warranty: Not included, but available for extra fee (5 year = $59.99)
Why We Like It:
You probably don’t think of Bed, Bath & Beyond as one of the best places to find cool vintage-inspired furniture (at least, I certainly don’t), but this one’s definitely got the right look.
It offers seven different leather colors and four different plywood colors, which is more combinations than any of the brands listed above (but not, it’s worth noting, quite as many as the brand listed below).
Having that kind of variety is great, because as much as I love the classic black-and-walnut look, it’s nice to be able to play around with the colors a little bit, and choose something that’s a little more tailored to your particular space or aesthetic.
Why Some Might Not:
The combination of materials and price are the two big concerns here.
In terms of material, they don’t actually provide a ton of detail—for instance, they don’t even mention what the cushions are stuffed with.
And the materials they do list, like top-grain leather and die-cast aluminum, are in the kind of good-not-great category that usually comes with a lower price tag.
Considering that the Sohnne chair uses better materials and is only a couple hundred bucks more expensive, this one’s a little hard to justify.
CurverK IMUS Lounge Chair
Specs:
- Price: $999
- Upholstery:
- Material Type: Full-grain Aniline leather
- Colors Available: 12
- Frame:
- Material Type: 7-layer plywood on regular model, 8-layer on upgraded/premium
- Colors Available: 5
- Base Material: Aluminum
- Cushions Material: High-resilience sponge
- Warranty: 5 years
Why We Like It:
Curver K’s Eames replicas have a lot of good things going for them. First and foremost, they have the widest selection of colors that I’ve found so far, with 12 upholstery options and five different plywood colors.
In terms of materials, they seem to be middle of the pack. The full-grain aniline leather probably isn’t quite as high in quality as either Sohnne (100% top grain) or The Iconic Chair (100% full grain), but the plywood likely matches the level of strength and sturdiness as those two.
Plus the price is certainly right. At a thousand bucks, it’s lower than the Bed, Bath & Beyond version while offering even more color options, which is a pretty attractive combination.
Why Some Might Not:
The biggest thing that kept me from ranking these guys higher is a lack of third-party verification.
Like Sohnne, they seem to only sell their chairs through their own website.
But when you Google Sohnne, you find plenty of information and reviews from past customers, including on third-party sites like the aforementioned TrustPilot and Better Business Bureau, which are obviously helpful in figuring out if a brand is legit.
By contrast, not much comes up about CurverK.
One Reddit user in a thread I mentioned above said that he ended up going with them and was happy, which is certainly positive, but it just feels a little odd that the only other positive reviews/mentions of the brand are on their own website.
FAQ
What’s the difference between top grain, full grain and aniline leather?
Full grain leather retains the entire grain layer, offering durability and a natural look. Top grain leather is slightly refined, with some surface imperfections removed. Aniline leather is a dye treatment that enhances the natural features of full or top grain leathers, providing a soft and luxurious feel.
What’s the difference between 7-layer and 8-layer plywood?
As their names imply,
7-layer plywood consists of seven veneer layers bonded together, offering good strength and stability. 8-layer plywood adds an extra veneer layer, enhancing its durability and load-bearing capacity, making it more suitable for heavy-duty applications.
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