Vintage view

The pinch-faced war regarding the copying of mid-century design by modern manufacturers in continental Europe and the Far East rages on — a lucrative trade that apart from statutory moves in the US and UK, remains largely unchallenged.

Just last week, I sat inhaling a hamburger on a firmly legal, Eiffel chair ‘inspired’ by Charles Eames — in MacDonald’s here in Ireland. However, as teary eyed purists exchange aesthetically aimed pot-shots (many wounded commentators are socially insecure and just showing off, to my mind), something far more wholesale, apparently acceptable and blimmin’ irritating continues down the ages.

Branded as ‘original’ there is in fact little offered new for our interiors that is not borrowed, copied or closely plagiarised from bolder, older, more deft designers. Shelves, lamps, chairs, desks —I wonder how large commercial manufacturing houses and even independent makers suppress a blush when taking these pieces to market.