 |
Charles & Ray Eames: 1907-1978, 1912-1988 Pioneers of Mid-Century Modernism List Price: $9.99 Sale Price: $6.26 Used From: $6.24 Average Rating:   |
|
Design’s dynamic duo Nothing says modernist perfection like an Eames design. Though they are best known to the general public for their furniture, the husband and wife duo of Charles and Ray Eames (1907-78 and 1912-88, respectively) were also forerunners in the fields of architecture, industrial design, photography, and film... |
 |
Charles and Ray Eames: Designers of the Twentieth Century List Price: $46.00 Sale Price: $30.00 Used From: $25.00 Average Rating: |
|
"Kirkham's thorough discussion of the Eameses' lesser known contributions to design and film and the personal working dynamic between the two partners provides a well-rounded perspective of one of the great design partnerships of the 20th century... |
 |
An Eames Primer List Price: $29.95 Sale Price: $14.95 Used From: $11.09 Average Rating: |
|
The first book to capture the philosophy and spirit behind the work of Charles and Ray Eames, An Eames Primer offers an in-depth look at the couple's prolific legacy--one that has placed them among the most important American designers of the twentieth century... |
 |
The Eames Lounge Chair: An Icon of Modern Design List Price: $45.00 Sale Price: $28.88 Used From: $26.00 Average Rating:  |
|
The epitome of Modernist style and luxurious comfort, Charles and Ray Eames's leather-upholstered rosewood-veneered chair and matching ottoman, launched in 1956, is a design classic of the twentieth century... |
 |
Blue River, Black Sea List Price: $16.95 Sale Price: $8.54 Used From: $12.18 Average Rating: |
|
The Danube is Europe's Amazon. It flows through more countries than any other river on Earth—from the Black Forest in Germany to Europe's farthest fringes, where it joins the Black Sea in Romania. Andrew Eames' journey along its length brings us face to face with the continent's bloodiest history and its most pressing issues of race and identity... |
 |
The Furniture of Charles & Ray Eames List Price: $45.00 Sale Price: $24.73 Used From: $24.73 |
|
In honor of the centennial of Charles Eames's birth, this beautifully designed book from the modern furniture mavens at Vitra is the ultimate publication on the iconic designs of Eames and his wife Ray... |
 |
Objects of Design: The Museum of Modern Art List Price: $39.95 Sale Price: $23.00 Used From: $2.80 Average Rating:  |
|
Showcasing selected works from The Museum of Modern Art's superlative architecture and design collection, Objects of Design features a wide variety of industrial and domestic artifacts by great designers of the modern period, from early masters such as Hector Guimard, Frank Lloyd Wright and Josef Hoffmann to contemporary practitioners including Droog Design, Ettore Sottsas, Gaetano Pesce, Hella Jongerius and others... |
 |
The Work of Charles and Ray Eames : A Legacy of Invention List Price: $24.95 Sale Price: $53.93 Used From: $42.65 Average Rating: |
|
Published on the occasion of a major international traveling exhibition organized by the U.S. Library of Congress and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany (holders of the two richest Eames collections in the world), this comprehensive volume is a testament to the Eameses' belief that good design could improve people's lives... |
 |
Eames House: Charles and Ray Eames (Architecture in Detail) List Price: $22.95 Sale Price: $39.83 Used From: $39.83 |
|
The "Architecture in Detail" series comprises books that focus on individual buildings noted for their exceptional character, innovative design or technical virtuosity. Each volume contains a text by a respected author, a sequence of colour and black-and-white photographs and a set of technical drawings and working details... |
Eames Lounge Chair
|
The Eames Lounge Chair and ottoman, correctly titled Eames Lounge (670) and Ottoman (671) were released in 1956 after years of development by designers Charles and Ray Eames for the Herman Miller furniture company. It was the first chair the Eames designed for a high-end market. These furnishings are made of molded plywood and leather. Examples of these furnishings are part of the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art. There is a decent used market for these chairs. Some collectors are willing to pay high prices for earlier chairs made with Brazilian Rosewood veneer, which is no longer available. In 2006, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the chair, Herman Miller released models using a sustainable Palisander Rosewood veneer. Prices for original rosewood chairs have recently reached as much as US$7,000 in auction. |
 |
 |
Design
The chair is composed of three curved plywood shells. The shells are made with several thin layers of wood veneer glued together and shaped under heat and pressure. The shells and the seat cushions are essentially the same shape: composed of two curved forms interlocking to form a solid mass. The chair back and headrest are identical in proportion, as are the seat and the Ottoman. The Eames constantly made use of new materials. The couple's first plywood chair - the Eames Lounge Chair Wood (LCW)-made use of a heavy rubber washer glued to the backrest of the chair and screwed to the lumbar support. These washers, which have come to be called 'shock mounts', allow the backrest to flex slightly. This technology was brought back in the 670 Lounge chair. The backrest and headrest are screwed together by a pair of aluminum supports. This unit is suspended on the seat via two connection points in the armrests. The armrests are screwed to shock mounts on the interior of the backrest shell, allowing the backrest and headrest to flex when the chair is in use. This is part of the chair's unusual design, as well as one of its biggest flaws. The rubber washers are solidly glued to the plywood shells, but have been known to tear free when excessive weight is applied, or when the rubber becomes old and brittle.
Other creative uses of materials include the seat cushions - which eschew standard stapled or nailed upholstery. Instead the cushions are sewn with a zipper around the outer edge that connects them to a stiff plastic backing. The backing affixes to the plywood shells with a series of hidden clips and rings. This design, along with the hidden shock mounts in the armrest allow the outside veneer of the chair to be unmarred by screws or bolts. The chair has a low seat which is permanently fixed at a recline. The seat of the chair swivels on a cast aluminum base, with glides that are threaded so that the chair may remain level.
It first appeared on the Arlene Francis 'Home" show broadcast on the NBC television network in the USA in 1956. The chair has become iconic with Modern style design although when it was first made Ray Eames remarked in a letter to Charles that the chair looked "comfortable and un-designy" (sic). Charles's vision was for a chair with "the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt". Immediately following the début Herman Miller launched an advertising campaign that highlighted the versatility of the chair. Print ads depicted the 670 in a Victorian parlor, occupied by a grandmother shelling peas on the front porch of an American Gothic style house, and in the middle of a sunny field of hay. One notable advertisement was produced by the Eames for Herman Miller warning consumers against imitations and knockoffs.
Since its introduction, the chair has been in continuous production by Herman Miller in America. Later, Vitra began producing the chair for the European market. Immediately following its release other furniture companies began to copy the chair's design. Some copies were direct knockoffs, while others were merely 'influenced' by the design. Most notably Plycraft Company, now defunct, issued dozens of chairs that directly mimicked or were in-the-style-of the Eames 670. More recently the Chinese market, as well as other European companies, have begun making direct copy knockoffs. However, Herman Miller and Vitra remain the only two companies to produce these chairs with the Eames name attached.
The Eames Lounge Chair appeals to people for several reasons. It is a classic design that has been in production continuously since its creation. In addition to the style, it is also very comfortable, a combination not always found in high design. Additionally, some people find it desirable purely for reasons of Conspicuous consumption - the chair with Ottoman retail for around $3,200 or more, depending on the selection of veneer and leather (leathers by Edelmen, recently offered by Herman Miller, add considerably to the cost). In part the appeal of the chair comes from its comfort. The Eames focused first on usability in their designs.
