Set of 5 early DKR-2 chairs by Ray & Charles Eames for Herman Miller 1951
View Similar Items
Set of 5 early DKR-2 chairs by Ray & Charles Eames for Herman Miller 1951
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33.08 in (84 cm)Width: 18.9 in (48 cm)Depth: 20.48 in (52 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 5
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1951
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Antwerp, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93241052324
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Eames and Ray Eames were the embodiment of the inventiveness, energy and optimism at the heart of mid-century modern American design, and have been recognized as the most influential designers of the 20th century.
As furniture designers, filmmakers, artists, textile and graphic designers and even toy and puzzle makers, the Eameses were a visionary and effective force for the notion that design should be an agent of positive change. They are the happy, ever-curious, ever-adventurous faces of modernism.
Charles (1907–78) studied architecture and industrial design. Ray (née Beatrice Alexandra Kaiser, 1912–88) was an artist, who studied under the Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. They met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit (the legendary institution where Charles also met his frequent collaborator Eero Saarinen and the artist and designer Harry Bertoia) and married the next year.
His technical skills and her artistic flair were wonderfully complementary. They moved to Los Angeles in 1941, where Charles worked on set design for MGM. In the evenings at their apartment, they experimented with molded plywood using a handmade heat-and-pressurization device they called the “Kazam!” machine. The next year, they won a contract from the U.S. Navy for lightweight plywood leg splints for wounded servicemen — they are coveted collectibles today; more so those that Ray used to make sculptures.
The Navy contract allowed Charles to open a professional studio, and the attention-grabbing plywood furniture the firm produced prompted George Nelson, the director of design of the furniture-maker Herman Miller Inc., to enlist Charles and (by association, if not by contract) Ray in 1946. Some of the first Eames items to emerge from Herman Miller are now classics: the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, and the DCM, or Dining Chair Metal, supported by tubular steel.
The Eameses eagerly embraced new technology and materials, and one of their peculiar talents was to imbue their supremely modern design with references to folk traditions. Their Wire chair group of the 1950s, for example, was inspired by basket weaving techniques. The populist notion of “good design for all” drove their molded fiberglass chair series that same decade, and also produced the organic-form, ever-delightful La Chaise. In 1956 the Eames lounge chair and ottoman appeared — the supremely comfortable plywood-base-and-leather-upholstery creation that will likely live in homes as long as there are people with good taste and sense.
Charles Eames once said, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” For very good collectors and thoughtful interior designers, a piece of design by the Eameses, the closer produced to original conception the better, is almost de rigueur — for its beauty and comfort, and not least as a tribute to the creative legacy and enduring influence of Charles and Ray Eames.
The collection of original Eames furniture on 1stDibs includes chairs, tables, case pieces and other items.
Herman Miller
No other business of its kind did more than the Herman Miller Furniture Company to introduce modern design into American homes. Working with legendary designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Alexander Girard, the Zeeland, Michigan-based firm fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style. In doing so, Herman Miller produced some of the most beautiful, iconic and, one can even say, noblest chairs, sofas, tables and other furniture ever.
Founded in 1923, Herman Miller was originally known for grand historicist bedroom suites: heavily ornamented wood furniture that appealed to a high-minded, wealthier clientele. The company — named for its chief financial backer — began to suffer in the early 1930s as the Great Depression hit, and D.J. De Pree, the company’s CEO, feared bankruptcy. In 1932, aid came in the form of Gilbert Rohde, a self-taught furniture designer who had traveled widely in Europe, absorbing details of the Art Deco movement and other modernist influences. After persuading De Pree that the growing middle class required smaller, lighter household furnishings, Rohde set a new course for Herman Miller, creating sleek chairs, tables and cabinetry that were the essence of the Streamline Moderne style.
Rohde died suddenly in 1944. The following year, De Pree turned to George Nelson, an architect who had written widely about modern furniture design. Under Nelson’s leadership, Herman Miller would embrace new technologies and materials and audacious biomorphic forms.
Some of the pieces the company produced are now emblems of 20th century American design, including the Eames lounge chair and ottoman and Nelson’s Marshmallow sofa and Coconut chair. Such instantly recognizable furnishings have become timeless — staples of a modernist décor; striking, offbeat notes in traditional environments.
Find a range of vintage Herman Miller office chairs, desks, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Armchairs by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller, 1970s, set of 6By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Lasne, BESet of 6 fiberglass chairs in orange color with chrome metal legs. Stamped H by Herman Miller on the bottom. Wear due to time and age of chairs. Seat height:...Category
Vintage 1970s Central American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Early Set of Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller Chairs in ZebrawoodBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in East Hampton, NYA set of 4 of beautifully grained early DCM chairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller in a very hard to find zebrawood pressure molded plywood on chr...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- DSR chairs by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller, 1970sBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Lasne, BESet of 4 dark blue fibreglass chairs. Stamped Herman Miller (see photo). These are the Eiffels legs. One chair has been repaired and is still a bit damaged (see photo). Wear due to t...Category
Vintage 1970s Central American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Plywood DCW Dining Chairs, 1950s Set of 2By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in London, GBThe DCW chair was originally released in 1946, with Herman Miller taking over the manufacture of the chairs in 1950. This lasted until 1953 when the chairs were taken out of producti...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPlywood
- Set of Four Eames for Herman Miller Black DKR Wire Chairs on Eiffel BasesBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Ferndale, MICharles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller DKR wire chairs on Eiffel tower bases. All four chairs have been refinished in a correct tone matte black powder...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$2,800 Sale Price / set22% Off - Charles & Ray Eames "DSS" Black Dinning Room Chairs For Herman Miller, 1974By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in The Hague, NLMid- Century modern period stackable dinning room chairs designed by famous furniture designers Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller in 1970's cir...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.