“There’s so much Bertoia furniture out there,” observes Leigh, pointing out that the wire-grid side chairs they scored at a shop in Stamford, Connecticut, have been in continuous production since 1952, when Knoll first rolled out the wire wonders. While not calendar-crunching collectors, the Kenos strongly prefer the early Bertoia chairs, based on construction methods, materials, curvier shape, and patina.

Shown here are a vintage Bertoia chair with an original orange foam-rubber seat cushion and a newly made Bertoia with a white seat cushion. Note that the vintage chair has a black base.