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I'd like to hear anyone's experiences, too, as I constantly see their (annoying) ads on Craigslist, and want to know if they're legit.

Sphere advertises on Craigslist ad-nauseum.

Their knock-offs are all imports from China - I won't buy from them for that reason.

so how much is that couch in the first picture...drool

Well, I bought a sofa from them about 2 years ago. (This was before they posted 100 times a day on Craigslist.) It's a family owned business and they were really nice. I bought a floor model and got a big discount (almost 50% off). My boyfriend recently bought an Eames knock off and they gave him a discount for being a repeat customer (he was with me when I bought the sofa). I've referred quite a few people to their store and all have had good experiences. YES, they sell knock-offs from China that aren't super high quality, but the prices reflect that. I'd say, check the store out and see for yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised. --Tara

Oh, and to answer your question spaceagemouse, yes, they are legit. (I've read of companies that take your money and then never ship your item. Not the case with Sphere Designs. My boyfriend ordered his chair and they were really good about calling him and letting him know when it was arriving and how to arrange delivery, etc.)

I actually got a couch from sphere design. I had some difficulties with the delivery. Initially they dropped off the wrong color which turned out to be a place holder while they made my couch in the color that I ordered. This took at least a month. The couch is holding up well (It has been about 1 year) though the foam cushion is starting to loose its shape. Overall, for the price right and the quality is not great but not bad either.

I'm still not sure what I think of knock offs. I know what I think about paying for the real thing at DWR-not possible. The truth is too, that many of the designers that created the classics we all love are long dead. I don't think I need to bend over backwards to support some trustafarian furniture designer's grandkid.

I think to some degree everything I buy is a knockoff to some degree or another--the clothes I buy, the furniture, accessories, etc. As much as I like to see myself as creative or original, the truth is that my likes and dislikes are very influenced by fashion. And doesn't fashion thrive off of being emulated? If it wasn't emulated it wouldn't be fashion!

On the other hand, there's nothing like the real thing.

I bought a beautiful armoir through them a few years ago and was shocked by how inexpensive their products are. I remember feeling like I was part of a scam and I would never see my purchased piece of furniture. Sure enough, a delivery truck pulled up in front of my house the next day with my armoir and it all worked out. Since then I have referred many a friends to their stores. I know they advertise on Craigslist like it's going out of style, but I would definitely do business with them again.

Just curious -- can't a company like Herman Miller legally stop them from selling knock-off Eames chairs? Or do they just not bother?

lightspeed,

Unless SphereDesigns calls it an Eames chair, or there's some sort of patent infringement, there's usually not much of a case against knock-offs.

SphereDesigns calls their chairs "Plywood/metal chair" and "Plywood chair," so I think they're safe.

AlmostAD: I also noticed this. While doing a search on Craiglist hoping I'd find a used Eames Chair, I came upon Sphere Designs and was confused as to whether that was appropriate too.

Thanks AlmostAD. Come to think of it, I've noticed exactly this sort of generic naming with many furniture knock-offs I've seen.

Eames, Noguchi, van der Rohe, Eames, Noguchi, van der Rohe . . . these MCM "showrooms" and all the look-a-like apartments they inspire are so bereft of imagination. Yawn.

When it comes to classic modern design, I'd love to buy the "real thing" but unfortunately it is simply not possible with my budget. That's why I was pleasantly surprised when I visited the Spheres store about a year and a half ago. (I saw the CL ad and was suspicious at first, like many other folks here.) But I found the prices reasonable, and the service at the store is friendly and un-pushy. It is a small, family-owned business, which also appealed to me. I ended up buying an Art Deco-ish leather chair and ottoman, which was delivered promptly and without any problems to my studio apartment. Almost two years later, the chair & ottoman are holding up quite well.

I gotta say AT is disappointing me. I've seen a lot of threads recently featuring knock-offs - from questions of quality to blatant endorsements. This goes totally against AT's philosophy of endorsing legit design, endorsing eco friendly products, and seemingly contrary to thier big sponsors like DWR, CB2, Hive etc, and anyone else who advertises on this site and carries legit designs. Its a shame, because AT is otherwise still a great great blog!