Tchochkes

There’s an interesting story that goes with the Aeron chair (and if you have read Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking you don’t need to read on).

Herman Miller decided to do test the chairs marketability on focus groups - and they hated it. They thought it was awful and ugly and deemed it would be a total failure.

So much for focus groups.

I am in love with this chair and will someday own one in size small - yes, they come in sizes, and if you are tiny like I am and sit at a desk all day in a chair designed for a man around 6ft tall (1.82 meters) then you know how important those sizes can be.

Why bother doing original designs when you can simply rip off what everyone else is doing?

I came across yet another desk which is a copy of the William Sonoma Home desk and the Ethan Allen desk I mentioned in an earlier post - shockingly the copier this time is Ralph Lauren Home.

I was reading a very clever post on AT about a Ralph Lauren Tumbler set when I decided to look at the Ralph Lauren Home site. I looked at the new collections and my eyes bugged out when I saw this desk.

Don’t these companies hire huge expensive design teams to create original work?

I did love this desk on RLH’s site, the Collection Desk (yes, that is the name) looks like a remnant from a by-gone era. I like the lines, the shape, and the various shades of wood.

The only thing I don’t get is how they can justify over 16k USD for this desk.

The January 2008 Ethan Allen look book has an office desk which is strikingly close to a design by William Sonoma Home, and both resemble a design done by IKEA.

See the legs on the table to the left? Look familiar? This is from Ethan Allen.

The desk below is from Williams Sonoma Home.

One would think that Williams Sonoma Home and Ethan Allen would be able to assemble a design team with a bit more originality and creativity. In a race to get the same consumer they forgot the need to differentiate and create their own personality.

I realize that we can’t get either of them here, but I plan to spend a day in Herzelia Pituach next week and I expect I will find someone who carries something similar.

I love how stores differentiate themselves. William Sonoma Home (who own Pottery Barn and West Elm) don’t have an office section of their site. Instead they have a Library section, which as all of the things one needs for - an office.

Pottery Barn offers a Home Office and West Elm offers Desks and Chairs.

Someone has to explain to me how the niche desk to the right is a library.

Or how the bookcase is a library when it has no books in it?