My very expensive chair

I don’t usually love expensive things. For this piece of furniture, though, I made a big, whopping exception.

It’s my Eames Lounge Chair, and I just goddamn love it. It’s one of the things I looked forward to about owning a house. The justification was easy: when you spend your life savings on owning property in the Bay Area, what’s another few grand for a chair no one actually needs?

That and the fact that I’d mentioned it many times to my wife over the years was enough justification to make the purchase. I think it was delivered within two weeks of us moving in.

The look is iconic, and it’s as comfortable as it is beautiful. The wide, low armrest makes it great for laptop-ing, which can’t be said for most lounge chairs. The ottoman cushion is actually the same design as the seat cushion, allowing them to be swapped in order to even out the wear, effectively doubling the cushion life. The swivel is completely smooth and silent, and that low lean that it’s known for makes you feel like you’re sitting in the cockpit of a Formula One race car.

Can I actually justify spending this much on a chair? Can anyone? Ultimately, that’s not the point. Money comes and goes. I don’t live to make money or to spend it. It’s fun to have nice things and to enjoy them with people I care about. It was equally fun before we could afford them. So what? I just like my Eames chair.

And, of course, Lily likes it too.