Soft Pad Low Back Chairs

(Image courtesy of D Rose Modern)

An addition to the Alu Group Series in 1969, the Soft Pad Low Back chairs were designed to be a luxurious and super comfortable seating option for a variety of uses. The models available on it's release mirrored that of the existing 'ribbed' Alu Group series and the versatility it presented was vast. Designed for the home, for conferences, for the professional workplace and for any commercial seating, the Eames Soft Pad Alu Low Back Chair was a go to option.

The Soft Pad Alu Low Back eames chairs were released in six variations, giving the intended user full control over the look and feel of the piece. There was the model without arms with either a fixed (EA205) or swivel (EA206) Universal 4-star base. Then there was the arm version, again with fixed (EA207) and swivel (EA208) bases. There was also the availability of the 'top end' arm chair, considered for the professional workplace, with a full tilting, height adjusting mechanism as standard and supplied with either castors (EA218) or floor glides (EA217).

Purportedly produced as an accident, it is said that the Soft Pad Chairs were inspired by an old aluminium chair with a prototype of the cushion for the Eames Chaise thrown over it. Whichever way it came into being, it has gone on to become one of the most recognizable chair designs of the 20th century and still inspires workplace chair design today.

The Eames Soft Pad Series also included a High Back Management Chair, a Lounge Chair, Recliner and Ottoman. The Low Back variants were reduced to 3 from the mid 80's change to the 5-star base but have since been brought back as customization options and on the old 4-star base once again.

• All Low Back Soft Pad Chairs had labels and stamps through the decades to help with determining authenticity. As with all Alu chairs, the early versions were actually stamped into the metal with Patent numbers and the Herman Miller name. Into the late 70's and 80's and adhesive labels were utilized. Some were the straightforward Herman Miller Labels and some with coding and type specific to the Alu Group. Into the 2000's and a Cloth label was brought in.
• The Eames Soft Pad Alu Low Back Chair is certainly one of the most copied and reproduced of the whole of the Alu Group. The internet and beyond is awash with copies, most of which herald from the far east. There is one thing however that is most important to remember. Reproduction makers do not (generally) make their copies in order to fool the customer into thinking they are buying the real thing. They are making them to be in the style of the classic Herman Miller piece and nothing more. That said, it is important to be sure that what you are buying is that of real quality, something only the real thing can guarantee.
• Without labels it does get more difficult but then you have to look for the quality in the piece. The frame should always be brushed Aluminum and not Chrome (not Europe) and check for the lifting, tilting mechanisms that they match the correct type. Many of the copies have used paddle pneumatic lift mechanisms when in actual fact these have only been available in the US since 2015 and they are right angled handles.
• Check that the stitching is interlocking and that the quality and type of the fabric and leather matches what it should. New 4-star bases should be more easily differentiated from the vintage type by the tarnish and by the cloth labels used today.

• The highest determining factors of value with the Eames Soft Pad Alu Low Back Chair is age, condition and model type.
• The first generation Soft Pad Low Back Chairs was released only in Black Leather which happens to still be the most highly desirable of all the upholstery choices over the decades. This also means that age can determining a higher value with the first generation and early type having the highest yield in the secondary market.
• Ensure to check the overall condition of any of the Low Back Soft Pad Chairs. With Leather, ensure there is not any serious cuts or tears which can deeply affect value. Leather can also wear along the edges and top corners and scrapes can reveal under the top surface of the material. The other thing to look for is sagging. Unlike the ribbed Alu Group Chairs, Soft Pads with poor cushion fillings can actually be repaired with any decent upholsterer as they are in addition to the construction of the frame. Should any issue with the fabric occur between the frame then this is a different matter. Like it's ribbed sister chair, the Soft Pad version still uses machine stretched fabric between the frame and any issue with this can be very difficult to overcome.
• The other high value factor is the model. The standard models were offered with either arms included or not and with either a fixed position or swivel base. The value of these will depend on the requirements of the buyer but the most coveted models will always be those that included the tilting mechanism, height adjustment and swivel as standard. They started as EA217 & 8 before changing to EA417 & 8 on the 4-star base and EA434 & 5 on the 5-star.