Keep on rockin’ me, baby

My internet window shopping is incomplete without a stop at Velocity Art and Design. When it comes to housewares and living, they’ve got it all; furniture, accessories, wall art, and doodads for pets and babies. And it’s always the coolest I-have-to-have-it stuff.

For months, I’ve been eying the shell rocker chair (a knock off of Herman Miller’s molded plastic armchair).  But it appears that Velocity Art and Design has succumbed to their design conscious and now sell the real deal.  For an extra hundred bucks you get the H.Miller authenticity as well as do-gooder street cred for buying eco-friendly products.  Herman Miller makes their shells from recycled (and recyclable) plastic.

The knock offs are still out there (check out Modernica) and made of fiberglass.  They’re not only cheaper but also less cool since they aren’t green.  However, Modernica makes a strong case for the original fiberglass fabrication.

“You may not know this, but fiberglass has actually been recycled for decades. Fiberglass can only be recycled into more fiberglass products; it cannot be blended in with most other types of plastics… Recycled fiberglass is less expensive and can be stronger, lighter and more durable…In this era of adopting and adapting to the concept of sustainability, we also have to consider when a high durability material is environmentally superior to a low durability material such as polypropelene. The general consensus is that fiberglass is a better material choice for a product that needs to be long-lasting and wear resistant. That’s why you’ll find fiberglass chairs in areas like bus stations and on trains where polyproelene would wear out quickly.” Modernica

Green and authentic or a bargain and well-suited for bus stations. It’s a tough call.