Set of Six Eames Parchment DSW Herman Miller, USA Dining Chairs
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Set of Six Eames Parchment DSW Herman Miller, USA Dining Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 18.51 in (47 cm)Depth: 22.45 in (57 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1965
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1710210359271
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.
Charles Eames
The legacy of Charles Eames looms large in design. In partnership with his wife, Ray, Charles was at the forefront of pioneering innovation in the use of molded plywood for furniture making. The Eameses’ cheerful and inviting work has endured among the most important advancements in the history of 20th-century design.
Together, visionary mid-century modern duo Charles and Ray Eames introduced a wide range of renowned furniture to the postwar market, including iconic designs such as the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, the wildly colorful birch plywood-and-plastic-laminate Eames storage unit, the Eames compact sofa and more. The designers were trailblazers in molded plywood furniture and brought lively organic form to metal and plastic.
Charles Eames studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis. He traveled to Mexico and Europe, and experienced firsthand the work of designer-architects Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In 1930, upon returning to Missouri, Eames opened an architecture practice with Charles M. Gray but later moved to Michigan in 1938. He received a fellowship at Cranbrook Academy of Art, which would become a breeding ground for the stars of mid-century design. Eames continued his architecture studies at Cranbrook and also taught in the design department.
In 1940, Eames met his future wife, artist and designer Beatrice Alexandra "Ray" Kaiser, who was studying at Cranbrook under Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. Charles teamed up with another Cranbrook instructor, Finnish-American designer Eero Saarinen, to explore the possibilities of plywood for use in furniture design.
With support from Ray, Charles and Eero created chairs and case pieces and submitted them to the “Organic Design in Home Furnishings” competition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City — among them was the groundbreaking organic Side chair made of molded plywood with maple legs. It was upholstered by Heywood-Wakefield. This exhibition is considered critical by many to the popularization of what is known as mid-century modernism. Eames and Saarinen won first place for their submissions to the competition.
Charles and Ray were married in 1941 and soon after moved to Los Angeles, California, and lived in an apartment building designed by architect Richard Neutra. Charles worked on set design at MGM, and at night, in a humble workshop they established in the guest bedroom, he and Ray experimented with molded plywood on a homemade device they called the “Kazaam!” machine. In 1942, the couple won a U.S. Navy contract to create molded plywood leg splints that would be used to support wartime medical efforts. Soon, the Evans Product Company was making the splints and the Eameses opened the famed Eames Office and studio.
The Eameses’ innovative use of wire framing, molded plywood and applied fabrics caught the attention of many notable figures in interior design and architecture, including George Nelson, director of design at Herman Miller, a now-legendary modern furniture manufacturer. The company enlisted the Eameses’ talents and was eventually home to the couple’s classic pieces such as the Eames DCW chair and the DCM chair.
Find an extensive array of vintage Charles Eames seating, tables and case pieces on 1stDibs.
- Charles & Ray Eames DSX Side Chair Natural Multicolor Set for Herman MillerBy Charles Eames, Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller, VitraLocated in Amsterdam, NLIconic side chairs designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller / Vitra. Molded fiberglass shells in the colours: Parchment, Raw Umber, Elephant Hide Grey and Black. Assembled...Category
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- Charles & Ray Eames LCW Walnut Lounge Chair for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller, Charles EamesLocated in Amsterdam, NLIconic LCW lounge chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames in Walnut Plywood and manufactured by Herman Miller USA. The veneer and chair is in very good / excellent as new condition wit...Category
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- Eames EA108 Black Netweave Dining Chair by VitraBy Vitra, Charles and Ray Eames, Charles EamesLocated in Amsterdam, NLComfortable dining chairs in very good condition with normal light wear. Lightweight chrome-plated aluminum frame with swivel mechanism and black (very strong) netweave upholstery. S...Category
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$1,099 / item - Multiple Eames Aluminum Group EA108 Dining Chairs in White Netweave Mesh, VitraBy Charles Eames, Charles and Ray Eames, VitraLocated in Amsterdam, NLComfortable dining and/or conference chair EA108 belonging to the iconic Aluminium Series designed by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller (US) / Vitra (EU). Comfort is guaranteed w...Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum, Chrome, Other
- Charles & Ray Eames DCW Ash dining chair with Dark Brown Leather seat for VitraBy Vitra, Charles and Ray Eames, Charles EamesLocated in Amsterdam, NLIconic DCW dining chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames and manufacture by Vitra, Germany. Solid Ash wood frames finished with matte lacquer. Seat and back panel is upholstered with ...Category
Vintage 1940s German Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Ash
- Multiple Eames Aluminum Group Chairs EA108 in Chrome and Red Leather, VitraBy Vitra, Charles and Ray Eames, Charles EamesLocated in Amsterdam, NLComfortable dining and/or conference chairs in very good / excellent condition with minimal light wear. Lightweight chrome-plated aluminium frame with...Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum, Chrome
- 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
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- Primary Color/Mondrian Style Herman Miller Eames Dining ChairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYFour vintage Herman Miller Eames fiberglass chairs in primary colors. All chairs in very good vintage condition with Herman Miller bases available in black or metallic silver color f...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
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- Charles Eames for Herman Miller DSX Shell ChairBy Herman Miller, Ray Eames, Charles Eames, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Garnerville, NYCharles Eames for Herman Miller fiberglass DSX shell chair. Circa 1970. Retains all it's plastic glides. Shock mounts are in good condition with no visible drying or cracking. Struct...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Steel
$516 Sale Price20% Off - Pair of Eames DCM Herman Miller Dining ChairsBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in New York, NYPair of Eames designed DCM (Dining Chair Metal). Chairs This pair of chairs are currently in later, but not new, orange paint finish, the metal frames are also in later black paint f...Category
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$2,600 / set - Pair of Early Walnut Eames DCWs Dining Chair Wood for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYGorgeous pair of early Eames DCW dining chairs in walnut. An ergonomic dining chair that is attractive as is comfortable to lounge in, like its...Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
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- Set of Four Herman Miller Eames Dining ChairsBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYGorgeous set of 4 Herman Miller Eames dining chairs. Vintage fiberglass shells are stamped Herman Miller and guaranteed authentic. Surfaces has been custom recoated in vibrant colors...Category
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