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helen_atkinson12

Would you complain about this color?

Marigold
4 years ago

I ordered a replica Eames chair. They didn't have the Ivory/rosewood combination I wanted, so I waited 6 months for it and it just arrived yesterday. It is well made, but the leather is lighter, with more yellow undertones than I expected. I just looked at the box, and it is listed as cream and rosewood. The website doesn't even mention cream as an option. There is a color code on the box, but not one I can find on the website.

Would you consider the colors ivory and cream interchangeable? On the web

site, the color looks darker, but I didn't request a swatch prior to ordering. Would you complain or am I being unreasonable?

Featured Answer
  • ilikefriday
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Yes, you are being overly critical. The difference you see could easily be because of the lighting needed to take photographs or lack of it in your home.



    Comments (44)

    • ilikefriday
      4 years ago

      Can you post a link to the website photo?

    • Marigold
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      As I post the link, I must say that the chair is well made. I don't want to be critical of the company, as I haven't spoken to them about it. I am just not sure whether or not I should say anything. https://furnishplus.ca/product/fplus-lounge-chair-ottoman-canada/?gclid=CjwKCAiAws7uBRAkEiwAMlbZjvsIzKzoUImB32CxzR0APGtN9AvKCK5fFiMu_yzTeY6CbpjvD7HLARoChgkQAvD_BwE

      I ordered the aniline Ivory leather

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    • bichonbabe
      4 years ago

      Always request a swatch..

      Marigold thanked bichonbabe
    • maddielee
      4 years ago

      Lay a piece of white paper on it. Is there a big difference in color?

      IMO, Ivory should be whiter then cream but not as white as white.

      Beautiful chair no matter what color you call it.

      Marigold thanked maddielee
    • Marigold
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Thank you. I went by the website swatch, not the pic you posted, but you are right. They are very similar. Oh, well. My own fault for not requesting a swatch, I guess

    • flopsycat1
      4 years ago

      Great chair....enjoy it!

      Marigold thanked flopsycat1
    • maddielee
      4 years ago

      For the future...never trust that a color you see on a computer monitor is accurate.

    • chloebud
      4 years ago

      It can be difficult or impossible to know what various sites mean by "ivory" or "cream." I've also learned sometimes even ordering swatches can be iffy. The chair looks great. Yes, enjoy it!

    • PRO
      Michelle Scott for Ethan Allen - Laguna Niguel, CA
      4 years ago

      Beautiful chair - and like stated above, you can't see or select color based on an image on a website. There are too many variables that affect the color that is viewed on your personal screen. Always request a swatch - if your chair was a different color than the swatch - you would have grounds for a complaint - but even then - different manufacturers will have verbiage in their contracts that allow for some variance due to dye lots.

      Marigold thanked Michelle Scott for Ethan Allen - Laguna Niguel, CA
    • RNmomof2 zone 5
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      I would perhaps call them just to clarify the ivory versus creme. While they may be the same item I would think that the box should be labelled the same as what the web calls it.

      Agree with others, pretty chair!

      ETA--just looked a the web picture and on my computer it looks much more grey than the pictures posted above which have yellow undertones.

    • L thomas
      4 years ago

      The company you bought it from is buying the chair from a vendor, likely in China, marking it up, giving it a story, and marketing/selling it. It's not like they're producing this chair themselves. Cream is likely what the vendor calls that color; Ivory is what the company you bought it from has marketed it as.

      Marigold thanked L thomas
    • Yayagal
      4 years ago

      It's beautiful in the room but, if you want clarity, just call the company and ask why the box said a different name than what was ordered. If they say it's a mistake, then you make a decision.

      Marigold thanked Yayagal
    • Olychick
      4 years ago

      If the chair you wanted was yellower than the one you you received, you may have been the recipient of a happy accident. The chair looks wonderful in your space, but the yellower one shown side-by-side in ilikefriday's post looks like it may have clashed with the colors in your fireplace and the white in your rug.

      Marigold thanked Olychick
    • User
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      It never hurts to ask them! But you really roll the dice when ordering stuff online w/o seeing samples IRL. And, say they only offered three colors (black, brown, ivory for example), then I'm sure they think cream=ivory.

      Places like Wayfair are really generous when it comes to stuff that was chipped or unusable. But subtle color differences will probably result in you having to pay for return shipping. sorry.

      in your case, I think your chair color looks really good as-is.

      Marigold thanked User
    • daisiesandbutterflies
      4 years ago

      The chair looks like ivory to me. The other whites (wall and rug) in your room are a whiter white. I think the chair is pretty, and I think the ivory color looks good with the wood on the chair. If it really bothers you, you can try to return the chair or change out the rug.

      Marigold thanked daisiesandbutterflies
    • PRO
      Debbi Washburn
      4 years ago

      I think that chair looks awesome in your space. The "creamier" color shown on the website wouldn't have been as nice

      Marigold thanked Debbi Washburn
    • PRO
      Lori A. Sawaya
      4 years ago

      Would you consider the colors ivory and cream interchangeable?


      The chair is stunning, love it in your space. Classic choice.


      Color words are general. There are no standards that define what they mean or describe what they're suppose to look like.


      There are so many threads on this forum alone that demonstrate how words like ivory, cream, off-white, greige, beige, taupe, etc. mean something different to everyone.


      So, there's really nothing to argue.


      Your ivory is cream to someone else and off-white to yet another person.


      Ordering a swatch is the best thing to do.


      Knowing what a color looks like in real life is a major issue for everyone. We have a new series on The Land of Color tackling that problem one piece of furniture at a time.


      Is that a Kyle Bunting rug?

    • Sammy
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      This is the white aniline:


      This is your chair:


      This is the ivory aniline:


      I’d say your chair is closer in color to the first chair.

      P.S. Also, notice that the piece of molded plastic underneath the arm rest is black on the ivory chair but on the white chair (and on your chair) that piece is white.

      Marigold thanked Sammy
    • Sammy
      4 years ago

      What does your receipt/order confirmation say? Can you take a picture of it, along with the labels on the box it came in and any labels on the chair and ottoman?

    • lucky998877
      4 years ago

      I think that yours looks better than the online pictures...stunning!

      Marigold thanked lucky998877
    • Marigold
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      @Sammy you have a sharp eye! I didn't notice those differences. I have decided to let it go in any case. I think the only result of me saying anything would to make everyone unhappy with no resolution anyway.

      @Lori A. Sawaya- thank you for that link! I have bookmarked it to explore and read later. The rug is one I had made by a Canadian company, but it is also of cowhide. It was Kyle Bunting that started me down the path.

      I appreciate all the input I have been given- Houzzers are always so helpful!

    • Marigold
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      LOL, @tatts you do have a way with words, don't you? I hope you feel better now.

      As I posted in the initial comment, I was not complaining about the workmanship, and as I posted directly above your comment, I will not be questioning the color either.


    • PRO
      Lori A. Sawaya
      4 years ago

      It was Kyle Bunting that started me down the path.


      Ah-ha! I thought so. He's my rug crush these days.

    • Sammy
      4 years ago

      How do I not know about this Kyle Bunting fellow? Maybe I need to start actually opening all the shelter mags I subscribe to...I‘m talking years’ worth of Trad. Home, House Beautiful, TOH, Southern Living, etc., still in the plastic. :0

    • PRO
      Lori A. Sawaya
      4 years ago

      haha! I don't know.


      They are cowhides so I'm a little torn. Excess cowhides are an issue right now to the point many are going to waste, buried in holes to dispose of them.


      At least rugs are a long-term use of the hides.


      But on the other hand is the issue of using animals as products at all.


      So. Yeah. Torn.

    • Olychick
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      Lori, I am always conflicted about animal products, too, but I think you can be pretty certain they are not slaughtering cows for those rugs. They are undoubtedly using a by-product of the meat industry and at least they are being kept from a landfill.

    • PRO
      Patricia Colwell Consulting
      4 years ago

      You got exactly what you ordered cream or ivory really the same color plus every dye lot in leather can be different and please unless you are a vegan leather is still the best cover for seating it lasts longer than anything else so keeps stuff out of the landfill which IMO is a bigger issue than a hide being made useful. Yes it is a knock off I am sure she knows that by the price but I think it looks pretty good .

      Marigold thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
    • PRO
      Lori A. Sawaya
      4 years ago

      They are undoubtedly using a by-product of the meat industry and at least they are being kept from a landfill.


      Yep. Exactly my thoughts too.

    • PRO
      User
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      If you don't like it then I'd return it. Looks like a great chair and color. Gotta say that I do hate when I order something online and its not what I had hoped.

      I would blame your computer screen. Your computer screen has probably never had its white balance corrected.

    • PRO
      Lori A. Sawaya
      4 years ago

      leather is still the best cover for seating it lasts longer than anything else so keeps stuff out of the landfill which IMO is a bigger issue than a hide being made useful.


      We weren't talking about the chair.

    • PRO
      Lori A. Sawaya
      4 years ago

      I would blame your computer screen. Your computer screen has probably never had its white balance corrected.


      If you look at the images from the website, it's the same photo of the chair. The colors were changed in Photoshop. White balance isn't going to correct that.


      The versions of cream and ivory were the subjective judgement of the Photoshopper person.


      And yet another example of how useless words like cream, ivory, beige, greige, taupe, khaki really are for describing and communicating color.

    • loobab
      4 years ago

      Helen-

      You might not have received what you thought you wanted, but really, it looks a heck of a lot better.

    • User
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      Michael Simmons but "accurate as shown" is not a thing with websites. it's insanely difficult to take a photo of something and have the color look exactly right. your perception of the color will change with the lighting and the surroundings.

      on top of all that, getting that photo to display exactly the same on every individual type of screen out there is impossible. so unless the OP ordered a fabric swatch, they can't complain that the IRL color looks slightly different from the web photo.

      Marigold thanked User
    • PRO
      Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
      4 years ago

      I no longer accept color selections from client unless we've meet and seen the colors in person on site together. On line selections can cost a lot of time and money.

    • Sammy
      4 years ago

      so unless the OP ordered a fabric swatch, they can't complain that the IRL color looks slightly different from the web photo.

      @User: But she can raise an objection (complain is not the right word in this situation, in my opinion) if she ordered ivory but received white. Did you not read through the comments?

    • Sammy
      4 years ago

      You got exactly what you ordered cream or ivory really the same color plus every dye lot in leather can be different

      @Patricia Colwell Consulting: Apparently you didn’t read through the comments either.

    • PRO
      Lori A. Sawaya
      4 years ago

      But she can raise an objection (complain is not the right word in this situation, in my opinion) if she ordered ivory but received white.


      :)


      Exactly how would you qualify -and prove- that what she got isn't "ivory" or "cream"?


      What you think/feel is "white" probably isn't "white" enough for me and I'd call it off-white, cream or maybe even ivory.


      And neither one of us would be right - or wrong.


      Unless we're dealing with hue/value/chroma color notations that have been ascertained according to proper standards, you can't argue color.


      The only way to argue color is by measuring the colors and comparing the color data values that result from the measurements. And it helps to have a physical reference, a color atlas of measured swatches to use as the benchmark.


      This thread does a great job outlining a huge and serious problem ALL online vendors are dealing with.


      I haven't found a good resource to cite but what I have gathered says about 22% of all online purchase returns are due to "color not as expected".


      So, that's kind of where everyone is at.


      If you don't like the color, then send it back.


      But not all online retailers make that easy.


      In many cases, the trouble and cost of returning the item is all on the consumer.


      As a result, many end up keeping the item despite the fact it wasn't the color they wanted.


      IME, I'd say gray sofas are 'up there' in terms of being the #1 surprising item. People think they're ordering a "neutral" warm gray sofa and what they actually get ends up having a giant punch in the eyeballs of discernible hue.

    • Olychick
      4 years ago

      Obviously people are not reading all the posts. Sammy pointed out (eagle eye!) that the white chair has black trim, while the ivory chair has light trim, so obviously, she got the white chair - no need to argue the color as subjective:

      " Also, notice that the piece of molded plastic underneath the arm rest is black on the ivory chair but on the white chair (and on your chair) that piece is white."


      And it sounds like the OP is keeping the chair anyway.

    • PRO
      Brightman Furniture
      4 years ago

      If it's been ordered based on the picture, and there was no very specific request, discussion and written approval regarding this color, then please let those guys who made this beautiful chair for you live in peace.

    • arcy_gw
      4 years ago

      I would say Ivory and cream are interchangeable. When I ordered "ivory" 'fridge' it matched my "cream" dishwasher. Different companies, however. Most use one or the other term not both. Your issue may be original source. Companies often have things built in different factories.

      Marigold thanked arcy_gw
    • PRO
      Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
      4 years ago

      lol.... appliance "whites" vary by brand. Stainless also (some is plastic)

    • User
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      Helen, it might help to simply ask the vendor for two sample leather swatches (white and ivory), then compare them to your chair, and then go from there! or if they don't offer samples, show them a photo of the white trim under the arm, and point out that in the picture it was black. that detail does make me raise an eyebrow. it could be your smoking gun! who knows, maybe they accidentally shipped a white one in a box labeled "cream".

      if they did send the wrong color, I say keep it (because it honestly looks great) and demand a big fat discount. if it was me, I'd consider that a win-win!

      Marigold thanked User
    • PRO
      Lori A. Sawaya
      4 years ago

      show them a photo of the white trim under the arm, and point out that in the picture it was black. that detail does make me raise an eyebrow.


      Me too. However, only because it looks like the Photoshopper person did it on one and not the other.


      Because it's the exact same photo in both images.


      The images do not depict two different chairs or in real life colors.

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