You just brought home an authentic Nakashima Conoid Dining Table, but the glides are worn out. Or perhaps one of the apple core knobs on your Nelson Thin Edge Dresser has broken. You find yourself in need of some very specific replacement parts.
Much of the charm of Mid Century Modern pieces is in the details. Replacing these broken parts with matching replacements isn’t just about authenticity or compatibility. It’s about maintaining the artistic and functional integrity of your furnishing. Sourcing mid century hardware can be a challenge. But if you know where to look, you can find authentic replacement parts. Here is where to shop.
Online Marketplaces
One option is to turn to online marketplaces. eBay, Etsy, and Craigslist all are good places to search for Mid Century Modern hardware, including originals and reproductions. You can also check the Treasure Fox app marketplace, which is the only marketplace exclusively dedicated to buying and selling Mid Century Modern furniture, hardware and décor.
Wherever you choose to shop, carefully review the photos and written descriptions for any hardware you are thinking about purchasing. Check the user’s history and reviews to see if you can trust their listings. Don’t forget
to price the item before you buy. That way, you’ll know if you are getting a
solid deal.
Online Communities
Along with online marketplaces, you can try checking specialized communities built around shared interests. Examples include Facebook groups, subreddits on Reddit, and forums dedicated to Mid Century Modern furniture and hardware. Check existing listings, or create a post asking if anyone can sell you what you need.
Specialty Retailers
You cannot walk into a generic furniture store and expect to find authentic Mid Century Modern hardware replacements. But there are some specialty retailers that stock these hard-to-find parts.
Featured Retailer: CSS Hardware
Imagine you need parts for the Nelson CSS (Comprehensive Storage System). George Nelson designed this iconic system for Herman Miller, which produced them from 1959 through 1973. The CSS requires a number of hardware components, including adjustable legs and leveling feet, vertical poles, wall supports and brackets, shelf clips, drawer frames, and more.
You can source these parts from CSS Hardware. This company’s founder, Nolan Leh, was struggling to find components for his own CSS, and ended up fabricating them by reverse-engineering the designs of the original components.
Nolan has relatives who’ve worked at Herman Miller’s Showroom and Venice Manufacturing plant, as well as the Eames Office, giving him rare insights into authentic parts design.
Official Retailers
Another option is to go through official retailers. Say, for instance, you have a Tulip Chair you need glides, brackets, casters or mounts for. Knoll does not sell these parts directly on its site. But if you contact the Knoll support center, you can ask them to refer you to an official dealer that may stock the official parts. If you have a furnishing that is under warranty, thatmay also give you a recourse for accessing replacement components
Restoration Experts
In addition to specialty retailers, you can also turn to restoration experts to help you source hard-to-find MCM components. These companies don’t just stock MCM parts. They can refurbish classic furniture.
Restoration experts who specialize in MCM are more likely to have the specific parts you need, or be able to craft them for you. And if you do have a furnishing that needs some TLC, they will have the deep knowledge and attention to detail to do the job in a way that preserves and honors the authenticity of the piece.
Featured Restoration Expert: Hume Modern
Hume Modern is based in Los Angeles. The company’s start was humble—just one person restoring an MCM chair in a Venice Beach garage. Word spread quickly, and Hume Modern is now considered one of the premiere restoration shops for MCM furniture. They are located close to the original Eames workshop, and have had a chance to learn from some of the company’s mid century employees who are still in the area
Eames chairs are Hume’s chief specialty. But Hume has worked on everything from the Fritz Hansen Egg Chair & Ottoman to the Saarinen Tulip Chair. They’ve even restored personalized pieces like a custom Saarinen Womb Lounge & Ottoman.
If you need replacement parts for a mid century chair (especially an Eames), there’s a chance Hume stocks what you need, be it connectors, glides, shock mounts, or specialized screws and bolts.
Featured Restoration Expert: Graham Mancha
Another option for Eames furniture parts is Graham Mancha, a UK-based dealer and restoration expert. There’s a chance you’ve seen him featured on the BBC show The Repair Shop & Salvage Hunters: The Restorers. You can view all the spare Eames hardware that Mancha has for sale on this page.
Featured Restoration Expert: Hobbs Modern
One more MCM restoration company we can recommend is Hobbs Modern. This company has over 45 years of combined experience restoring furniture, with a focus on Mid Century Modern. They work on pieces by designers such as Eames, Wegner, Juhl and Nakashima.
You can ask them to restore a piece, or you can shop for parts directly through their site and do your own repair work. They sell components for the Eames Lounge Chair, as well as the elusive George Nelson Thin Edge Apple Core Pulls. If you don’t see what you are looking for in their shop, you can contact them to see if they can help you source the parts you need.
Reach Out to the Community
If all else fails, you can always contact other members of the MCM community. Treasure Fox has an active and growing network of MCM enthusiasts who buy, sell, and enjoy mid century furniture. Connecting with our community and browsing our marketplace is an excellent way to track down hard-to-find parts.
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