When you’re shopping for orange Eames Fiberglass you’ll often notice sellers explaining that their particular chair is a rare orange, Salmon Orange.
Eames Fiberglass, Orange on the Left, Salmon Orange on the Right
Salmon Orange isn’t an actual color that was released by Herman Miller. It’s a color that collectors have affectionately coined.
Eames Fiberglass, Salmon Orange on the Left, Orange on the Right
It refers to those particularly early orange shells. They appear to be salmon, or pink, in hue because the earliest batches of the orange shells were both a pinker resin, and had a lot more and larger visible fiberglass.
Eames Fiberglass, Orange on the Left, Salmon Orange on the Right
The additional white of the extra fibers showing contributes to the gentle pink tone.
Eames Fiberglass, Orange on the Left, Salmon Orange on the Right
When you find a chair being advertised as ‘rare’ and ‘Salmon Orange’ the first clue you should look for is a lot of lovely white fiberglass. If the shell looks more opaque orange, you’re looking at regular Orange.
Eames Fiberglass, Salmon Orange Herman Miller Manufacturer’s Mark
The last thing you’ll check for is the manufacturer’s mark. Salmon Orange happened in the earliest versions of the chairs, so you’ll be looking for the earliest marks. Some of the earliest shells had no mark at all, only a paper label that has long since fallen off. If it does have a raised mark in the fiberglass it will not have the embossed ‘Herman Miller’ test. The full name was added to the mark long after Salmon Orange was no longer in production.
Happy hunting!
