Furniture designs that have shaped 20th century design continue to endure and be very recognizable, thanks to film and television. These iconic, celebrated designs still fit into today’s decor world as naturally and utterly as they did mid-20th century.
There are only a rare few true 'originals' available in the consumer market. Most originals today reside permanently in museums and galleries. Licensed brand holders have also since taken liberties to modify the original designs, incorporating the use of modern manufacturing technologies and improved materials, and pricing them prohibitively high. Although the designers of these significant furniture designs once held patents, these patents have expired for decades and the designs have hence become accessible for replication.
Recently as a protectionist measure many European government have extend the "protected" periods by changing these patents to copyrights. These measures extended the protected period well past the death of the designer. Fortunately most Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand have rejected this argument and consumer can enjoy these designs at attractive prices.
Specific to the smallest yet significant details of proportion, angle, stitch and make, our wide range of replicas abides by the utmost precision, in all the spirit and passion of the great architects who conceived the designs. We adhere to the original, exacting dimensions with so our modern classic pieces are perfectly balanced, look great and feel even better. Uncompromised in quality and feel, held to engineering standards and using only materials of premium grade, Picket&Rail simply crafts superior reproductions.
Most of Picket&Rail’s modern classic pieces are still handcrafted or hand-finished as a true expression of workmanship. Their legs, for instance, are professionally finished and perfectly flush with the ground. The Charles and Ray Eames-inspired Elcid Lounge Chair (1956) also unerringly boasts the original design’s threaded glides in the base, which allow for the height adjustment of each foot of the chair.
Design seeks to solve problems. The need for tweaks is eventually revealed over time and practical usage. Picket&Rail doesn’t merely reproduce designs- we pride ourselves on providing ‘thinking people’s furniture’ and instead, aim to improve on the original designs by way of more choices, better construction – such as the addition of more shock mounts in the aforementioned Elcid Lounge Chair and more plywood layers in the Eames' Molded Plywood Chair-inspired (1946) Uform and Vermina Chairs – and little structural tweaks that have been made possible with today’s technologies. Picket&Rail’s perfectly balanced modern classic pieces hence boast superior quality and are engineered to last, with custom details.
We pride ourselves on our vast fabric and colour options so customers can customize their own modern classic pieces. Want Eero Aarnio’s Ball Chair-inspired (1963) Orbit Lounge Chair in a pink shell with orange upholstery? Picket&Rail has it covered. In fact, we have you covered in more ways than one, and all of them Italian-quality. We have the original upholstery options for you but if you desire a different blend to maximize your utility and comfort, we have three different fabric options to suit your individual lifestyle. We also have four different kinds of genuine Italian leathers - premium, deluxe, standard and even pony skin – in various colors so that you can choose the right leather for yourself.
Quality is the watchword. We craft our modern classics with your choice of premium wood- just take your pick from sustainably sourced wood such as American walnut, white oak, ash, beech, American maple and more. You can customize your dream modern classic piece with us. We do not use cheap wood such as pine, which is the wood most abundantly found in North America. Pine has rather an uninspired and uniform or utilitarian look to it because it’s so overused. Additionally, pine wood is susceptible to temperature changes and has a tendency to scratch or dent. Pine furniture thus needs a lot of protection (most pine furniture sold is untreated).
We don’t stint on our wood finishes either. We utilize wax or oil finishes for a deep and rich luster in the European fashion that brings out the beauty of our natural wood as well as protects it.
Picket&Rail also uses fiberglass instead of plastics such as polypropylene for our shell chairs- it feels better and you can tell. Similarly, we also use stainless steel (not even chrome plated steel) with increased rust resistance for exposed surfaces and cast aluminium and powder coated steel instead of mild steel or plastic.
Picket&Rail’s attention to detail is showcased in its products such as Harry Bertoia’s Diamond Chair-inspired (1952) Rhine and Kevina Lounge Chairs where the lattice work of electronically welded steel is polished to both enhance its brilliant looks as well as catch and smoothen the ends of the individual wires for the user’s comfortable seating. The curved frames of Picket&Rail’s Arcelli Lounge Chair, inspired by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair (1929), are cut and finished by hand too. The welds that join the frames are also laboriously filed by hand for a flawless surface finish.
Picket&Rail uses high quality and density injected structural foam, such as in Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chair-inspired (1958) Hatch Lounge Chair, whose dramatic structure consists of a single piece of foam other than the leg base. This ensures longevity of the chair’s structure. Our hand stitching is also impeccable, detailed and in a wave pattern along the sides of the Hatch Lounge Chair's seat, just like in the original Egg Chair.
Almost all of Picket&Rail’s Modern Classics come fully assembled and not flat packed from its factory. High-quality packaging materials such as high-impact foam padding are used to protect the products in transit.
We are serious about making our Modern Classics better and that also means making them more affordable. Picket&Rail also has a factory direct program where we cut out the middlemen (the retailer, the wholesaler, the importer) and work directly with the craftsmen and factories to craft your modern classic pieces to order using the best production methods and stringent quality control. We do not have to import the products or store them in warehouses. All of these lead to whopping cost savings of 50-80%. The skilled furniture makers we collaborate with are often the same names you find who are working with the big brands. The finished products are assuredly of showroom quality and we also provide delivery to your doorstep. Each and every single one of Picket&Rail’s modern classics is made better and a worthy statement accent piece for any home.
