Some of the Eames best furniture designs

Some of the Eames best furniture designs

Ray and Charles Eames were key designers of the 20th century. Here are a just a few examples of their finest designs:

DSR chair

 Built in 1948, the DSR has a highly distinctive base made from chrome, earning it the name of the “Eiffel” chair. It is one of a series of chairs, all with the same seat shell design, made at the beginning of fibre glass production and now from polypropylene. DSW has a wooden base, DAW and DAR are seats (both with a wooden base or stem) and RAR was a rocking chair.

Eames House

In 1949, the husband-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames built a home for themselves in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. It was constructed of steel in an avant-garde style from the outside. But the interior is richly decorated with things collected on their travels: phones, rush baskets, Native American artwork and Asian dolls. Ray and Charles made this home the centre of their world, and stayed there until their deaths (Charles in 1978, Ray a decade later). The house is now a US National Historic Landmark and is open to visitors.

ESU 426-C

Storage isn’t normally that exciting but this unit is pretty cool. An Eames storage unit that is versatile and freestanding, with sliding doors made from moulded plywood and brightly coloured screen panels, brushed metal surfaces, and height-adjustable feet – and they work as a room divider as well as acting as shelving too.

Lounge Chair and Ottoman

It is a challenge for anyone to find a more comfortable seat than the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, which was released in 1956 for a furniture company Herman Miller. Charles Eames wanted to create something that was warm and fit like a glove and the result is a happy hug from a seat moulded with plywood and leather. It is now part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art. For a replica Eames Lounge Chair, visit a site like https://www.pash-classics

Hang-It-All

These fun coat hooks were made with methods developed for wire-framed furniture and were designed by the couple in 1953 to encourage children to hang things. Of course, they have long been used by adults who are strapped for cash but want to fill their homes with Eames furniture because they love the aesthetic. Playful and powerful, Hang-It-All reminds you, at a glance, that unlike so many designers of the 20th century, the Eames’ were fun and certainly not monochrome-obsessed.

Wire chair

Who would enjoy sitting on a wire chair? Strange, then, that this is the creation of Eames. The Eames’ were a lot of fun, which can be seen in various photos of the couple, such as the one where they appear to have been pinned to the wall like insects. They enjoyed jokes, playing games and collecting items; Ray especially was far too much of a hoarder to ever pass as minimalist. Wire chair (1951) is certainly not a joke. It is, in fact, not pleasant to sit on at all. But it sure looks good against a wall of concrete or on hardwood floors.

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