Excellent value on in-stock Barcelona/Pavilion chairs.
We purchased a pair of reproduction Pavilion chairs in Palermo Caramel waxy leather. The items were in stock and deeply discounted. We were able to stack a coupon code on top of a sale price. This may have been a website glitch, which seems to have been corrected subsequently, but Rove accepted the order and stood by the price.
Shipment to the East Coast was surprisingly fast. The shipper offered delivery just eleven days after I placed the order. Total elapsed time from order to receipt was a little over two weeks. I chose standard/curbside delivery - the less expensive option. Although this method worked out OK, it left no realistic chance to unpack and inspect the chairs before accepting the delivery. That could have been a serious problem, because Rove's return policy is not very customer-friendly: once you accept the merchandise, returns are quite expensive. Of particular concern were the possibilities of manufacturing flaws and damage in transit. We were also skeptical that the leather would be as nice as the swatch Rove had sent us.
So, after accepting the chairs sight-unseen, I was rather anxious while unpacking them - which took some time, because they are heavy and were packaged very securely. In the end, though, we were very pleased. The chairs are a reasonable, though imperfect, imitation of the licensed Knoll version, with which I am familiar from my workplace. The Palermo Caramel leather is truly beautiful: the color, feel and smell all surpassed expectations, and remind me of a pro-quality baseball glove - high praise indeed. The proportions, seating position and overall comfort are very close to the Knoll version. Keep in mind that it's a low chair, as Mies meant it to be. (The King of Spain wasn't expected to stand up very often.) If you prefer a higher position for an easier exit, consider a reproduction that takes more liberties in this area, or try a different chair altogether.
I was able to identify a few minor quibbles:
1) The stitching is looser and less compulsively perfect than Knoll's.
2) The backstraps are not color-matched, which might be an issue in a space where the chairs don't face a wall. (Rove describes the extent of matching for each color on their website, so read carefully.)
3) Although the cushions are contoured somewhat to accommodate the curve of the frame, the fit is less snug than Knoll's.
4) The stainless frame seems less luminous, even after buffing, and the corners are not as perfectly square. The frame might also flex a bit more than the original; that's just an impression.
Obviously, you don't get Mies's signature or the Knoll imprimatur. Each buyer has to decide for him/herself the value of those attributes, or of supporting licensed products and original design in general. Mies has been dead for nearly 50 years, so we didn't think he would mind.
Overall, we are very pleased with this purchase. It would be unrealistic to expect identical quality to the licensed version, at a discount approaching 90%. For perspective: the price we paid was just slightly above the cost of a five-inch high Vitra miniature Barcelona chair, which is too small for most of my daughter's dolls. Considered in this light, the value proposition on the Knoll chairs is compelling.
We would strongly consider ordering from Rove again, though the pricing and delivery time on custom orders might continue to limit our interest to items that are either in-stock or available for pre-order. I know that many buyers would also appreciate a more liberal return policy, though I understand why Rove is so tough in this area.
9 years 2 months