Brad's Vintage Bertoia Side Chair

For this edition of For Keeps Sake I asked Brad Bennett, founder and editor of Commerce with a Conscience, to share one of his own for keeps items. Brad’s site is the fastidious gentleman’s guide to ethical fashion, and honestly there’s not another site around right now that covers this topic specifically. A must-read for both men and women.

Brad’s item: Vintage Bertoia Side Chair

The story: “I had been wanting a Bertoia for ages, but my refusal to buy a knockoff kept the chair firmly out of my price range. Then, one faithful day, a very sweet (and arguably very naive) woman posted four of them individually on eBay, each at an intriguingly low starting price. Without much hope for a happy outcome, I decided to try my luck and emailed her a very below market value buy-it-now offer. To my amazement, she accepted. One week later, the chair, and its fully intact original Knoll branded cushion, were in our home, where they have been lovingly cooed over ever since.”

Why it’s a For Keeps item: “Like much of the truly great design from the mid-century era, the Bertoia Side Chair is entirely emblematic of the period, and yet, utterly timeless. No matter how our space or tastes change in the future, we (my girlfriend and I) are confident that there will always be a (prominently displayed) place for it in our home.”

For Keeps Sake category: These entries explore the items in our lives that are not disposable for reasons of good design, sentimental value, utility and more. From everyday objects to special treasures, let’s think about buying and owning more thoughtfully.