There are two, and being straightforward about that is more useful than implying a larger range.
RAR stands for Rocking Armchair Rod, which describes the construction: a moulded shell, rod legs, rockers. It came out of the Eames work on low-cost furniture that began with the 1948 Museum of Modern Art competition, and it uses the same shell as the DSW and DAW dining chairs on a different base.
The Mobelaris version has a polypropylene shell in a satin finish, a stainless steel wire base and rockers in a light wood finish. It measures 60 cm wide, 68 cm deep and 68.5 cm high, and weighs 12 kg. It is offered in a range of colours, selectable on its product page.
A different proposition entirely. Solid ash hardwood for the frame and the legs, with a black leather seat, in the Danish cabinetmaking tradition.
It measures 75 cm wide, 94 cm deep and 104 cm high, with a seat at 45 cm. It is supplied assembled.
For the wider seating ranges, see modern lounge chairs and modern armchairs.
Eames RAR | Wegner PP124 | |
|---|---|---|
From | GBP 53.70 | GBP 1,494.50 |
Shell or frame | Polypropylene, satin finish | Solid ash hardwood |
Base | Stainless steel wire, rockers in a light wood finish | Solid ash |
Seat | Moulded shell, unpadded | Black leather |
Width × depth × height | 60 × 68 × 68.5 cm | 75 × 94 × 104 cm |
Seat height | Not published | 45 cm |
Assembly | Base to seat, instructions included | Supplied assembled |
Availability | In stock, dispatch 48 to 72 hours | Made to order, 12 to 16 weeks |
Colours | A range | Ash with black leather |
Warranty | 5 years | 5 years |
The price gap is 28-fold, which is unusual inside one collection. These are not two versions of the same thing. One is a moulded shell that happens to rock; the other is a piece of cabinetmaking.
The size difference is larger than it sounds. The PP124 is 26 cm deeper and 36 cm taller. In a small room the RAR reads as a chair and the PP124 reads as a piece of furniture you arrange the room around.
Only one is available now. The RAR is held in UK stock and dispatches in 48 to 72 hours. The PP124 is made to order at 12 to 16 weeks. If the chair is for a specific date, that decides it.
Colour is the RAR's real advantage. The PP124 comes in one finish, ash with black leather. The RAR is offered in a range of colours, which is worth knowing if the search that brought you here included a colour.
Three things that apply to any rocking chair and that the dimensions do not tell you.
A rocking chair's stated depth is measured at rest. In use, the arc carries the back of the chair further than that, so the real space required is greater than the number on the product page.
Allow clearance behind the chair as well as in front, and do not place either of these against a wall or a radiator. The PP124 at 94 cm deep needs meaningful room behind it; the RAR at 68 cm is far more forgiving in a small space.
Rockers concentrate the whole weight of chair and sitter onto two narrow contact strips that move.
On carpet, both are fine. On hard floors, a rug under the chair protects the surface and quietens the motion. The RAR's rockers have a light wood finish and the PP124 is solid ash, so neither is inherently kinder to a floor than the other; it is the contact area, not the material, that does the damage.
A rocking chair is a chair for sitting still in for a long time, which makes it good for reading or listening to something, and poor as occasional seating for guests.
If the chair will mostly be looked at rather than used, the RAR is the sensible choice at the price. If it will be the chair someone sits in every evening for a decade, that is the case for the PP124.
A modern rocking chair applies twentieth-century materials and manufacturing to a traditional form. Instead of a turned wooden frame, a modern rocker might use a moulded plastic shell on a steel wire base, or a hand-built hardwood frame with leather. The rocking action is unchanged; the construction is what makes it modern.
RAR stands for Rocking Armchair Rod. It places the moulded shell used in the Eames dining chairs onto a wire rod base with rockers in a light wood finish. The Mobelaris version uses a polypropylene shell in a satin finish, measures 60 cm wide by 68 cm deep by 68.5 cm high, weighs 12 kg. Every chair here is a reproduction: its product page states it is not manufactured by or affiliated with the original designer.
The PP124 is Hans Wegner's rocking chair, the Scandi option in this collection, built in the Danish cabinetmaking tradition. The Mobelaris version uses solid ash hardwood for the frame and legs with a black leather seat. It measures 75 cm wide by 94 cm deep by 104 cm high, with a seat height of 45 cm, and is supplied assembled.
The two in this collection run from GBP 53.70 for the Eames RAR to GBP 1,494.50 for the Wegner PP124. That gap reflects genuinely different things: a moulded shell on a wire base against a hand-built solid hardwood chair. Prices on the grid above are current and include any active sale.
The Eames RAR is offered in a range of colours, selectable on its product page. The Wegner PP124 comes in solid ash with a black leather seat. If colour is the priority, the RAR is the piece to look at, since the PP124 is offered in one finish only.
More than its stated depth. Dimensions are measured at rest, and the rocking arc carries the chair back further. Allow clearance behind as well as in front, and keep it away from walls and radiators. The RAR at 68 cm deep suits smaller rooms; the PP124 at 94 cm needs real space behind it.
Mainly floors and space. The rockers concentrate the full weight onto two narrow strips that move, so on hard floors a rug protects the finish and reduces noise. The chair also needs more room than its stated depth, because of the arc. If getting up easily matters, check the seat height: the PP124 publishes 45 cm, and the RAR's is not published.
They are comfortable differently. The RAR's moulded shell is shaped to the body but unpadded, which suits shorter sittings. The PP124 has a leather seat and, at 104 cm, a much taller back, which suits longer sittings. Neither is objectively more comfortable; the question is how long you intend to sit.
The Eames RAR assembles base to seat, with instructions included. The Wegner PP124 is supplied assembled. Mobelaris does not offer assembly as part of standard delivery, though the support team can arrange a quote.
It depends entirely on which one. The Eames RAR is held in UK stock and dispatches within 48 to 72 hours. The Wegner PP124 is made to order with a 12 to 16 week lead time. Each product page shows its own estimate under the Add to Cart button.
