Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman

In March of 2021 was the 65th birthday of the chair that redefined the concept of comfort and left an indelible mark on the world of design. Who are Ray and Charles Eames and how did the famous chair come about, which is also called the chair of the century and what else did the Eames couple do, I will tell you below...

Charles Eames was born in 1907 in St. Louis. He became interested in architecture as a high school student (he was a young employee at the Laclede Steel Company at the age of 14) and continued his education at Washington University. After completing two years (according to his grandson's book) he was asked to leave the university, and reports say that his views were too modern, and a professor later told Charles that he was ''prematurely interested in Frank Lloyd Wright. ''. Immediately afterwards, Charles threw himself into the architectural business - first working for the firm that hired him when he was a student, and then opening his own office when he was 23 years old. In 1929, he married his first wife, Catherine Woermann, and a year later, Charles's only child, Lucia, was born.

In 1930, he began to develop his design ideas outside of architecture and received a scholarship to the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where he eventually became head of the design department.

Ray Kaiser was born in Sacramento, California in 1912. Growing up, they encouraged her artistic spirit and encouraged her to find beauty in the things around her. When her father died, she moved with her mother to New York, where she attended college and studied expressionist painting with Hans Hofmann. After finishing college in 1936, he founded the group American Artists. At the suggestion of a friend, in 1940 he began attending the Cranbrook Academy of Art. She decides to break away from her expressionist beginnings and chooses classes that awakened her creativity. The two met at school, got married in 1941 and moved to Los Angeles, where they started a joint office, The Eames Office.

Charles, who studied architecture, possessed exceptional technical skills while Ray had an unerring sense of color, composition and form.

In LA, Charles worked in the art department at MGM Studios, and Ray designed covers for Art & Architecture magazine. The couple experimented with the production of furniture using materials such as plywood formed under heat and pressure, reinforced plastic, wire mesh and cast aluminum. In 1946, Evans Products began manufacturing Eames furniture from glued plywood. Their molded plywood chair was called "the chair of the century" by the influential architecture critic Esther McCoy. Soon the production was taken over by Herman Miller Inc. which still produces furniture in the United States today, while Vitra International is in charge of production in Europe. During the war, the American army cooperated with them, so Ray and Charles designed immobilizers for injured soldiers, which represented a significant income from which they could advance their ideas. After the war, they offered a new type of home decor, and their mission was bold and simple: "We want to make the best for the least (money)". Charles compared a good designer to a good host, anticipating the needs of their guests. The furniture they made it was stylish but, more importantly, it served its purpose. Ray said, "What works well is better than what looks good, because what works well - lasts"- and that was the concept of quality and they worked according to, but that was not a new concept. The Bauhaus pioneered this functional approach before the war. However, Charles and Ray made it mainstream. Their designs were comfortable and affordable, but also appealing to the masses. Charles introduced modernist design to America, but Ray softened his hard forms, gave them a playfulness that contributed to mass appeal.

One such example is their ''Hang it all'' coat rack, designed in 1953 with the idea of encouraging children to hang their coats. Ray brought life to the solid metal structure by choosing colored balls.

Charles considered Ray his equal partner in business, and even emphasized her abilities and her role: "Anything I can do, Ray can do better." But even in 2021, the world is slow to accept equality, so it's not strange that in that period her role was diminished. It was not only chauvinism, but also ignorance, because her contribution was less conspicuous to the untrained eye. Ray had a keen eye for detail, and without her influence Charles's creations would have looked austere. Most modernist design and architecture is devoid of clutter, in order to demonstrate minimalism. Ray adored creative chaos!

Hang it all

Their harmonious teamwork came to the fore in the creation of their home in Pacific Palisades, now known as The Eames house (Case study No.8). It was built as part of a case study program led by the publisher of Arts & Architecture magazine. The magazine gave a challenge to design a house that would reflect human life in the modern world. These houses were to be built and furnished using materials and techniques that were prevalent after the Second World War. Its shape resembles a shoebox, it is made of glass and steel. When you look at her from the outside she is completely Charles, but her insides say Ray. Ray did not follow the minimalist trend, she filled the house with all the details that caught her eye. Her approach to the interior can be described as a "midcentury modern cabinet of curiosities". Who would think to hang a picture on the ceiling, so you can lie on your back and look at it? Only Ray. The house is built on a meadow overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As it is made up of large windows, they planted eucalyptus trees to mitigate its impact on the environment. This house was a perfect metaphor for their attitude towards design. They did not try to impose their vision, they were curious about the world around them, their work was a path of discovery, and design was their way to share their discoveries with the world. Pat Kirkham described the Eames House as a "Mondrian-style composition on a meadow in Los Angeles".

Charles and Ray were versatile creators. They were engaged in graphic and textile design, architecture, furniture creation, but also filmmaking (they made 4 promotional videos for Polaroid). The most famous furniture and buildings designed by Charles and Ray were created in a relatively short period of about 15 years. Beginning in the late 1950s, their attention was increasingly focused on exhibitions, films and multimedia installations, securing their place as pioneers of the information age. How much they were ahead of their time is shown by the short films they shot. In that period, they seemed out of place for cinema and television, due to the duration of only a few minutes, and today, with the existence of the Internet and video platforms, their clips fit perfectly into popular video forms. If you are interested in what they recorded, you can watch it here.

They loved their work, which was a combination of art and science, design and architecture, process and product, style and function. Charlse said: "Details are not just details, they make the product".

Their products were the products of the evolution of ideas, Ray said that "the hardest thing is to keep a big idea - to be able to look critically at work". But they succeeded in that. Their work with plywood led to innovations with fiberglass. A magazine contest led to their innovative house. Their love for photography led to the creation of films. Graphic design led to showroom design, toy collecting led to toy creation. The Eames wanted to make the world a better place and they succeeded. Their mantra "We don't do art - we solve problems" led to the creation of the most significant pieces in the history of design.

Graphic design, toys, textiles - they created everything

Although they were focused on creating mass-produced products that were affordable, one piece stood out. The Eames Lounge chair (670) and ottoman (671) deviated from the idea of an affordable piece of furniture. Inspired by the traditional English club chair, Eames lounge chair brought a touch of luxury to their collection. But how did it come about?

Charles and Ray often visited their friend Billy Wilder on his film sets. The well-known director assembled an improvised deckchair between the sets so that he could take a nap during filming breaks. Something about that makeshift piece of furniture inspired the duo. But that's what made their work process special, one idea led to the realization of another.

Composed of plywood and leather, it is made to meet the spirit of the times, designed to be long-lasting and conceived to be the most comfortable and well-used chair. It represents a pillar of modern design of the 20th century. Making this chair was a big challenge. Charles envisioned it to be as comfortable as a well-used baseball glove. And indeed, when you look at the lounge chair, you can understand that idea and feeling, even though it may be unfamiliar to you. The chair manages to look luxurious but at the same time somehow familiar, receptive, comfortable... This contradiction gives it a special appeal.

The chair consists of 3 curved plywood shells covered with veneer. The layers are glued and shaped under heat and pressure. The backrest and headrest are identical proportionally (with the idea that they can be changed), as well as the seating part and the ottoman. Products have changed in various ways over time. Beginning in 1956 and through the very early 1990s, the shells consisted of five thin layers of plywood covered with Brazilian rosewood veneer. The use of Brazilian rosewood was discontinued in the early 1990s, and current production consists of seven layers of plywood covered with cherry, walnut, palisander rosewood (a sustainably grown wood with similar patterns to the original Brazilian versions), and other finishes. "Bumpers" allow the backrest and headrest to be folded when the chair is in use and therefore provide greater comfort because the pressure on the lumbar part of the spine is reduced.

Other creative uses of the material include seat cushions, which eschew standard stapled or quilted upholstery. Instead, the cushions are sewn with a zipper around the outer edge that connects them to a hard plastic base. The base is attached to the plywood shells with a series of hidden clips and rings. The chair can be turned on the five-legged base, which is made of aluminum. The quality leather used on this model will last "indefinitely" because enough oil is added to the leather during production. Throughout the 1960s, the design was consistent, allowing owners of authentic 670/671 chairs to obtain replacement parts from Herman Miller regardless of the age of their chair. The first chair and ottoman were produced in 1956, and they made their public debut on the Arlene Francis-Today show, after which there was a huge interest in this model. The second Eames chair and ottoman off the production line were immediately sent to Billy Wilder as a gift. The Herman Miller factory continuously produces Eames chairs, so they are often called 670/671 according to the part numbers from the factory.

In more than 20 world museums, this chair is on permanent display, for example, the most important MoMA in New York has a copy donated in 1960 by the Herman Miller company.

He proves his statement status with numerous appearances in films, series, shows. It would be really hard to list all the appearances of this chair, but I'm sure that when you start paying attention, you'll see that it's everywhere.

Its price ranges from $5-6 thousand, depending on the chosen materials and colors. Although it was originally available only in a combination of black leather and burgundy veneer, today there are many variations, you can even find it with the Missoni pattern 😊 .

As a big fan of chairs, when it comes to armchairs or lounge chairs it's hard for me to imagine owning one other than an Eames lounge chair. However, this raises the question of whether it is worth spending a figure that for our circumstances means furnishing a good part of the apartment (Milose, while you are reading this, the answer is yes 😊) - but there is another option, not so popular in all areas of design. Replicas. Everything that is the subject of general interest of the masses must receive reproductions and copies. This did not miss the Eames world either.

I believe that as many copies as originals have been sold in the world. While in the factories that sell licensed products, each chair is assembled and sewn by hand, the highest quality materials are used, copies are mass-produced products and their lifespan will be questionable compared to the original. But like everything, it is something that no one can guarantee. You can catch a copy that is identical in detail and can last for many years, and you can end up with cracked skin or a broken backrest mechanism. My conclusion is that if you don't care about longevity, go for it, hardly anyone will notice the differences unless an architect comes to visit you, in that case, stay safe 😊! The original can be ordered through the Herman Miller, VItra or Eames shop websites.

Eames replicas

It is a part of luxurious interiors as well as small cramped homes. Her ability to adapt to all styles is unique. The traditional English club chair is just that, too traditional. Eames's interpretation manages to be modern even after 65 years.

For the autumn collection, Reebok has announced a collaboration with the Eames company, and I believe that everyone is curious to see what is in store. Hopefully nothing like this Nike mockery.

My wish would be to realize this concept by designer Shane Chen, who combined the aesthetics of a lounge chair and modern technology.

But emojis would also be a hit!

Midcentury emojis-made by Death by modernism

Finally, it is worth mentioning some more design gems that came out of the Eames office:

Eames plastic and fiberglass armchair

After their debut at the Design of Cheap Furniture competition organized by the Museum of Modern Art in 1948, the Plastic chair (A-shell) and the Plastic side chair (S-shell) were launched on the market in 1950 as the first mass-produced plastic chairs in the history of furniture. I'm sure you've seen them everywhere, and certainly sat in them, but when I see this shell model, the first association for me is the Health Center and a variation of the model "Eames Plastic Armchair beam seating" in brown color 😊 .

Eames Aluminum Group 'Task' chair

The aluminum chair is one of the great furniture designs of the 20th century. Charles and Ray designed and developed this chair in 1958 for the private residence of an art collector in Columbus (USA). For its construction, the design pair deviated from the principle of a seat shell, instead stretching a piece of fabric or leather between two aluminum side pieces to create a taut but elastic seat. The chair adapts to the body and is extremely comfortable, even without complex upholstery.

DCW

Charles and Ray spent many years experimenting with new techniques to produce three-dimensionally shaped plywood seat shells that conformed to the contours of the human body. They achieved this with chairs from the Plywood Group, which have matured into classics, with an appearance that still looks contemporary today. For plywood chairs, they also combined seats and backrests with different bases. Thanks to the organic shape of plywood shells and slightly flexible backrests, these light and compact chairs offer great comfort. The second version of the DCM has aluminum legs and the shape of the seat and backrest is the same.

Wire Chair

Designed from welded steel wire, the wire chair is a variation on the theme of the organically shaped one-piece seat shell, combining transparent lightness with technological sophistication. The wire shell can be combined with different bases and is offered without upholstery, with a seat cushion or with a two-part seat and backrest cushion, known as the "Bikini" cushion due to its shape.

After almost 40 years of life and creativity together, Charles died of a heart attack on August 21st, 1978, and after 10 years on the same day, Ray also passed away. Their legacy is preserved today by Charles's grandchildren, through the Eames Foundation.

This was only part of the story about the Eames couple, their importance, success and love for all branches of art is difficult to convey in one short post. If I have interested you in their products, click on the websites of Herman Miller, Vitra, Eames office and maybe you will find your dream chair. Until the next reading and my expositions about how many chairs I need in my life 😊 .

M.

The brilliant Gray Malin photographed the Eames lounge chair on no less than the magical island of Bora Bora