Chef Tony's old barber chair caught my eye in Brooklyn

I was visiting a diner in Brooklyn last week and saw this vintage barber chair they use as a booth seat - it had that old Koken emblem on the footrest. Has anyone else ever repurposed an old barber chair for something other than cutting hair?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna_wright23d ago

Nah, that "Koken" logo actually belonged to the Koken Barber Supply Company in St. Louis, not some old-school Brooklyn brand. A lot of people mix that up cause the chairs were super common in old barbershops everywhere. Pretty cool find though, I've seen them used as thrones for garage sale promotions and even as fancy plant stands.

william_garcia23d agoProlific Poster

...actually dealt with this exact situation a few years back when I found an old Koken chair at a flea market in Jersey. Thing was a beast to move, mustve weighed like 200 pounds. First thing you wanna do is check the hydraulic cylinder underneath the seat - those old ones tend to leak if theyve been sitting for decades. If it's still holding air, you're golden. I ended up drilling a few holes in the base and bolting it to a wooden platform so it wouldn't tip over when someone leans back too hard. Also, the cast iron footrests are usually held on with just a couple of bolts, so you can remove those if you want a cleaner look. Just be careful with the enamel paint - it chips real easy if you look at it wrong.

torres.thea23d ago

Beast to move" and "200 pounds" got me rolling my eyes a bit ngl. I mean yeah old barber chairs are heavy but people act like they're moving a car engine. @william_garcia is right about the hydraulic though, those old Koken cylinders are finicky af. Still, bolting it to a platform sounds like overkill unless ur planning on doing wheelies in it lol. Most of em are fine as is if u just dont lean back like ur at a frat party.