Completely impressed… and I’m PICKY!
I’m not much of a review guy, but I had to on this one…
I had been wanting and researching “Plywood Lounge Chairs” for two years now. Of course, like most, I wanted an original at a reproduction price. I searched every website and blog I could find trying to get genuine reviews and opinions of reproductions… or a deal on an original. I never found a definitive answer, nor any deals.
Then I went to a dinner party at a new friends house and they happen to have the Urban Furnishings lounge chair. I told them I had been looking. They went through the same thing. So I inspected the chair top to bottom, inside and out - every nook, cranny, fastener and detail. I had seen many originals and knew what to look for in both quality and design. I was sold and ordered one the next day - Ultra Premium Black/Palisander.
I was totally impressed. Not only with the chair, but with the entire buying/shipping experience from Urban Furnishing. This is not a paid advertisement and I’m picky AF.
The chair arrived within days via the UPS truck. One box. It was huge and it was heavy. Fortunately, I was home to help the UPS guy get it off the truck and get it in the house. The outer box was a torn and had holes in it - which made me worry about the chair. So I had him stick around while I opened it.
The shipping carton was very well made. Super thick cardboard, reinforced edges, plywood braces, box within a box and a ton of cushioning foam inside. Took about 10 minutes and a screwdriver to open. But once it was open, the chair was perfect. No bumps, no bruises… no marks or flaws of any kind. YES!!!
The chair went together easily. The ottoman top just slides right onto the base. The char base is attached with four allen head screws (wrench and screws provided). I flipped the main part of the chair over (resting the seat of the chair on a bench to make it level) and everything lined right up perfectly. Four screws and done.
The chair is very comfortable, solid and sturdy. The little details… fit and finish of everything - including the leather, plywood, base, castings… everything was just perfect and just as good as an original in my opinion.
I’ll leave you with this because it’s the most important part to me. Yes, I wanted an original. A lot of people in the blogs said to "break the bank, sell a kidney, whatever to get an original." They said it’s an “investment”. B.S. - I COMPLETELY disagree. The fact is a new original one is $6000. A used one is $3000 and even at that price, they are very hard to sell. Loosing half the value right after you make a purchase is terrible. You wouldn’t be happy if you purchased $6K in stocks and the broker took $3K of that and put it in his pocket, would you? This is a chair. It will have butts rubbed on it. It will get bumps, bruises and scratches. It’s not an appreciating asset no matter which one you buy.
This chair is a top quality piece furniture. Yes, there are cheaper reproductions out there. I have seen them. But the Urban Furnishings reproduction is the best of the best in my opinion. I know it’s made overseas and they are not the manufacturer - but they are one of the few suppliers of this manufacturers version. And their service was great! Like I said - I am incredibly happy with the purchase and I am picky AF.