The Eames lounge chair chocolate brown replica is the darkest brown leather we offer: deep brown aniline leather on a walnut veneer shell, delivered with its matching ottoman. It is a Sederica reproduction inspired by the 1956 design by Charles and Ray Eames.
Choose it if you want the warmth of brown leather without the orange of tan or cognac. The leather and the walnut sit close in tone, so our chair reads as one dark, calm shape in the room.
Eames lounge chair dark brown: how dark is chocolate?
In daylight the leather is clearly brown. In the evening, under warm lamps, it reads much darker and moves towards espresso. Here is where it sits among our walnut chairs:
- Chocolate Brown (this chair): aniline leather dyed an even dark brown, without a waxed finish. Low contrast with the shell.
- Waxy Cognac Brown: a waxed leather in a redder, chestnut brown that shows lighter tones where it creases.
- Waxy Camel: the palest of the three.
Against black leather, chocolate is the softer choice. Black on walnut gives a sharp two-tone outline. Chocolate keeps the outline quiet and draws the eye to the wood grain instead.
Deep brown aniline leather and American walnut veneer: how our chair is built
Leather. The cushions are covered in soft Italian aniline leather, which is dyed through and left without a heavy pigment coating. That is why it feels warm and supple from the first day, and why you can still see the grain of the hide. The trade-off is that it marks more easily than coated leather.
Cushions. Each one is hand-sewn and buttoned, with welted and piped edges. The piping reinforces the seams, where a lounge chair takes most of its wear.
Shell. The shells are pressed from 7 layers of laminated veneer. Thin layers are what let wood hold this curve and resist cracking and warping afterwards.
The face is American walnut veneer on both sides, so the back is finished as well as the front. On a swivel chair that matters, because the back is often what faces the room.
Base. Shock mounts join the shells and let the back give slightly as you lean into it. Underneath is a polished aluminium base with five arms and a 360-degree swivel, so you can turn towards the window without dragging 24 kg across the floor.
The 1956 design behind our reproduction
Charles and Ray Eames introduced the lounge chair and ottoman in 1956. Charles Eames said he wanted it to have the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt. A dark brown leather that creases softly is about as close to that idea as a colour can get.
The first chairs were veneered in rosewood. Walnut came later and is now one of the standard veneers for this design, which is the look our shell follows.
Our chair is a Sederica replica. It follows the proportions and reclined posture of the mid-century design, but it is made for us and sold under our own name. Read more in our history of the Eames lounge chair.
Dark brown Eames lounge chair in walnut: the rooms it suits
Tone-on-tone is the reason to choose this pairing. American walnut heartwood runs naturally from pale brown to dark chocolate brown, so the leather picks up the darker streaks in the veneer.
This mid-century chocolate and walnut palette looks best with something pale around it: white or warm grey walls, light oak floors, a cream wool rug. Against those, the rich dark tone of the chair gives the room an anchor.
Be more careful on dark floors. On smoked oak or dark walnut boards the chair can disappear, so put a lighter rug under it. In a north-facing room it will read darker still, which is worth knowing before you order.
For layouts, see our mid-century modern living room guide.
Eames lounge chair and ottoman brown set: size, weight and floor space
| Specification | Chair | Ottoman |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 87 cm | 65 cm |
| Depth | 87 cm | 54 cm |
| Height | 82 cm | 54 cm |
| Seat height | 42 cm | n/a |
| Weight | 24 kg | 9 kg |
| Base | Polished aluminium, 5-star, 360-degree swivel | 4-star |
This is an Eames lounge chair with ottoman replica, so both pieces arrive together in the same leather and veneer. Set out for use, they need a run of about 1.6 to 1.7 metres from the back of the chair to the far edge of the ottoman. To swivel freely, the chair needs a clear circle of roughly 1.25 metres.
Together the two pieces weigh 33 kg: planted when you sit down, and manageable for two people on a staircase. The seat is 42 cm high and the recline is fixed, with no tilt lever or height adjustment.
Setup is shown in our step-by-step assembly guide.
Is this the right chair for you?
It suits you if you want a reading or film chair, somewhere to lean back for an hour or more. It also suits rooms with pale walls or floors that can carry a dark piece.
It is probably the wrong chair if:
- you need to sit upright at a desk. Look at our Eames-style office chairs instead
- getting up from a low seat is difficult for you
- your cat or dog uses the furniture. Aniline leather shows claw marks
- it would stand in direct sun all day, or outdoors
Caring for chocolate brown aniline leather and walnut
Dark aniline leather hides some things and shows others. Dye transfer from jeans, which shows quickly on white or camel leather, is hard to see on chocolate. Dust, pale pet hair and light scuffs show more.
- Dust the leather with a soft, dry cloth, including the folds around the buttons.
- Blot spills straight away. Do not rub, and do not use household sprays or baby wipes.
- A light scuff shows as a paler line. Rubbing it gently with a clean, dry fingertip usually blends it back.
- Use a conditioner made for aniline leather once or twice a year. Test it under the ottoman cushion first, because it can darken the leather slightly.
- Keep the chair out of direct sun and at least 50 cm from radiators. Because it swivels, you can turn it now and then so one side does not take all the daylight.
- Wipe the walnut with a soft, dry cloth. For a mark, use a barely damp cloth and dry it at once.
Why buy from Sederica
We sell reproductions of mid-century designs to homes across Europe, and we say so plainly on every page. This chair ships from our EU warehouse with VAT included, so there are no customs charges on arrival.
EU delivery is free with no minimum spend and takes 6 to 7 days. The chair comes with a 2-year warranty and 14-day free returns.
Eames lounge chair chocolate brown: questions buyers ask
Is chocolate brown darker than cognac or tan?
Yes. Chocolate is the darkest brown leather we offer. Cognac is a redder mid brown, and tan is lighter and more orange. In low light, chocolate can look close to black.
Does the leather colour match the walnut shell?
It is close but not identical. The leather is an even dark brown, while the walnut is a little lighter and carries its own darker streaks. Veneer is real wood, so the grain differs from chair to chair.
Will dark brown aniline leather fade or change?
It will change. Direct sunlight fades aniline leather, so keep the chair away from a south-facing window. With normal use the seat and arms soften and take on a slight sheen.
Does the chair recline, tilt or swivel?
It swivels through 360 degrees, and the back flexes slightly on its shock mounts. The recline angle is fixed.
Who makes this chair?
We do. It is a Sederica replica inspired by the 1956 design by Charles and Ray Eames. Sederica is an independent brand with no connection to the Eames Office, Herman Miller or Vitra.
Still comparing colours? See every leather and veneer in our Eames lounge chair replica collection, or read our buyer’s guide to Eames lounge chair replicas.
This chair is a Sederica reproduction. See our Legal Disclaimer for terms.
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