The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman
A Post-War American Design Classic That Keeps Its Cool Today
Dec 29, 2008
Since its introduction in 1956, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman ensemble has proved to be the benchmark for innovative, iconic design coupled with extreme reposefulness. The original design sported a Brazilian rosewood veneer over its plywood frame and was upholstered in a supple black leather that was puckered – according to Charles Eames – to give ‘the receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt.”
As it was half a century ago, the Herman Miller Inc. furniture company is today the sole American manufacturer of the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman and still adheres faithfully to the original specifications set down by its designers, save that they have recently switched the rosewood veneer to the more sustainable rich-grained santos palisander.
Ray and Charles Eames: A Marriage of Minds
As early as the nineteen-forties, Charles Eames and his then-design partner Eero Saarinen were experimenting with the design possibilities afforded by plywood. The design partnership’s labours bore fruit when their creations took a number of prizes at the Museum of Art’s Organic Design in Home Furnishings awards. A year later Charles met Ray (née Kaiser) at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan. A relationship ensued that was more than just a marriage.
The hiatus of the war years, however, meant that their design genius had to be put somewhat on the back-burner. Still, despite the austerities of war-time, the Eameses did manage to continue with their plywood experimentation, first fashioning innovative plywood leg splints with natural curvatures for wounded naval officers, then finding an audience in the U.S Air Force, for whom they designed airplane parts from moulded plywood.
The Precursor: The Eames Lounge Chair Wood (LCW)
Post-war, the couple went on to capitalise on the research they did for the U.S Navy involving the naturalistic curvature of plywood splints. This knowledge was brought to bear on the Eames’ first brainchild and what proved to be the precursor of their Lounger: the Eames Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) (sometimes referred to as the Low Chair Wood (LCW) or the Eames Plywood Lounge Chair (EPL)). The LCW is very much the archetypical Eames design and provided the template for their later works, not least their Lounge and Ottoman set.
The Debut: NBC's 'Home' Show
Perhaps the most significant innovation they carried over from the earlier LCW design to their later work was the ‘shock mounts’ feature, which allows the backrests of both chairs to flex and facilitates the backwards motion of the sitter. When, in 1956, Charles Eames finally revealed the Lounger and Ottoman to a wowed Arlene Williams on NBC's ‘Home’ show, the host rightly marvelled at the unusual design of the chair's chassis, which consists of three shells of finely carved rosewood that provide snug nooks into which the leather cushions fit flush. The 'integrity' of the design is achieved by having the cushions sewn onto the frame of the chair rather than having them attached using the more common – but more unsightly – method of stapling or nailing.
The Lounge and Ottoman: Price & Vital Statistics
Original Eames Lounge (670) and Ottoman (671) sets are available in the United States only at Herman Miller Inc. stores, while in Europe Vitra are the sole producers. These original sets start at just over $4,000 but can reach prices well over $5,000 depending on the finish a buyer opts for. Purchased separately, the chair starts at $3,000, while the ottoman is just over $1,000.
However, as with Arne Jacobsen, Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier design classics, there are a number of imitation or 'inspired-by' Eames Lounge and Ottoman sets on the market. Prices usually start at just over $1,500.
- Lounge chair: 32" h x 32.75" w x 32.75" d
- Ottoman: 17.25" h x 21.5" d
