Mid-Century Iconic Pieces and Reproductions of Them

Hello everyone,

The house that I'm buying is a small, mid-century beach house in Southern California. The style and size of the house match up well with mid-century furniture. The use (harder than typical, lots of sand, doors left open while at the beach) and my budget make expensive heirloom pieces of furniture not as desirable.

Duane, I've read with intrigue your writings on furniture quality and H&M furniture, so I was hoping you and others could opine about some mid-century pieces.
I'm looking at the Eames LCW (plywood with walnut veneer lounge chair--$650), the Mies Van der Rohe Barcelona ottoman (leather--$1,900) as well as the Saarinen Womb Chair and ottoman--$3,500. All of these pieces are licensed to specific firms to build (Herman Miller and Knoll) and they charge a lot in turn for them.
I'm wondering if the licensed manufacturers are actually building them any better/using better materials than the reproduction makers are. There are more than a few companies scattered across the country making reproduction pieces and I wanted to know if any of them stand out as making a quality piece. I want these pieces for the design and because I find the womb chair and LCW both very comfortable. I'm not interested in resale. I want the look, comfort, and something that won't break in a few years.

If you know nothing about these pieces, can you point me somewhere that may be helpful?

Thanks for your help.

These items are not "quality" in the same way as what Duane sells. They were originally made using the newest most modern materials of their time. Materials like plywood and aluminum. The designs were different, almost inside out, with the frame (or at least part of it) being on the outside.

Its like comparing a Rolex to a Ventura digital watch.

The licensed models should be as close to the originals as possible. The knockoffs will probably have a lesser leather, thinner plating of exposed chrome, and "walnut stain" on oak instead of real walnut. But they will probably hold up pretty well.