Pair of Eames Herman Miller Palisander Eiffel Base Shell Chairs
View Similar Items
Pair of Eames Herman Miller Palisander Eiffel Base Shell Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 18.75 in (47.63 cm)Depth: 21.75 in (55.25 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Palisander,Wire
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2014
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Some scratches present.
- Seller Location:Miami, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU195837451983
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.
- Cherner Task Chair White Leather and WalnutBy The Cherner Chair Company, Norman ChernerLocated in Miami, FLA strong, lightweight and graceful armchair for your home or office. This rolling and adjustable task chair features solid walnut arms and white Spinneybeck leather. Reissued in exac...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs ...
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Gilbert Rohde Art Deco Vanity Table and Stool by Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Gilbert RohdeLocated in Miami, FLSculptural Art Deco vanity table and stool from the 4140 collection designed by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller, dating from the late 1930s to the early 1940s. The mid-century desk f...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Art Deco Vanities
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany, Glass
- Louis XV Provincial French Style Painted Dining Chairs - Set of 4Located in Miami, FLA set of four Louis XV provincial style white and blue painted dining armchairs, 20th century. Standing on four cabriole legs with hand rush seat. Serpentine form, ladder back frame ...Category
20th Century French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood, Rush
- Green Velvet Mastercraft Imperial Dining ChairsBy Weiman/Warren Lloyd, MastercraftLocated in Miami, FLTruly incredible craftsmanship in these rare Mid-Century Modern faux bamboo Mastercraft armchairs by Weiman/Warren Lloyd, made in Italy, circa 1975. From a rare series known as the Imperial chair...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsNickel, Brass
$15,000 / set - Mastercraft Dining Chairs in Teal Green VelvetBy Weiman/Warren Lloyd, MastercraftLocated in Miami, FLTruly incredible craftsmanship and details in these rare Hollywood Regency faux bamboo Mastercraft armchairs by Weiman/Warren Lloyd, circa 1975, Made in Italy. From a rare Mid Century Modern series known as the Imperial chair, these vintage chairs feature an even rarer custom finish as the chairs are nickel plated solid brass for a finish similar to polished steel or chrome. They are usually found in a brass finish. The seats and backrests have been recovered in a soft and gorgeous muted green-blue velvet that takes on different tones depending on the light, from teal blue to sage. These luxurious chairs are a sophisticated and timeless choice for an elegant dining room...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBrass, Nickel
$3,500 / item - French Country Rustic Side Chairs - a PairLocated in Miami, FLUnusual pair of antique hand-crafted shaped ladder back chairs made from fruitwood. Circa 1880. Ideal for use in a hall / mud room. Rustic French country look that works equally well...Category
Antique 19th Century French Country Side Chairs
MaterialsFruitwood
- Terracotta Eames for Herman Miller Vintage 1960s Fiberglass Shell ChairsBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYMultiple Available. Original Molded Fiberglass Shell Chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Vintage shell chairs are prized for their attractive patina, distinct thread texture and beautiful depth of color seen in the fiberglass material. Shell is stamped with the Herman Miller emblem underneath. Dated to the 1970s. OAM boasts one of the largest collections of vintage Eames fiberglass shell...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Brilliant Yellow Eames for Herman Miller Vintage 1960s Fiberglass Shell ChairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYMultiple Available. Original Molded Fiberglass Shell Chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Vintage shell chairs are prized for their attractive patina, distinct thread texture and beautiful depth of color seen in the fiberglass material. Shell is stamped with the Herman Miller emblem underneath. Dated to the 1970s. OAM boasts one of the largest collections of vintage Eames fiberglass shell...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Olive Green Eames for Herman Miller Vintage 1960s Fiberglass Shell ChairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYMultiple Available. Original Molded Fiberglass Shell Chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Vintage shell chairs are prized for their attractive patina, distinct thread texture and beautiful depth of color seen in the fiberglass material. Shell is stamped with the Herman Miller emblem underneath. Dated to the 1970s. OAM boasts one of the largest collections of vintage Eames fiberglass shell...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Ochre Yellow Eames for Herman Miller Vintage 1960s Fiberglass Shell ChairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYMultiple Available. Original Molded Fiberglass Shell Chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Vintage shell chairs are prized for their attractive patina, distinct thread texture and beautiful depth of color seen in the fiberglass material. Shell is stamped with the Herman Miller emblem underneath. Dated to the 1970s. OAM boasts one of the largest collections of vintage Eames fiberglass shell...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Greige Light Grey Eames for Herman Miller Vintage 1960s Fiberglass Shell ChairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYMultiple Available. Original Molded Fiberglass Shell Chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Vintage shell chairs are prized for their attractive patina, distinct thread texture and beautiful depth of color seen in the fiberglass material. Shell is stamped with the Herman Miller emblem underneath. Dated to the 1970s. OAM boasts one of the largest collections of vintage Eames fiberglass shell...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Set of 4 Royal Blue Herman Miller Eames Dining ChairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYSet of 4 Herman Miller Eames fiberglass dining chairs. Authentic tops and bases. In good vintage condition with normal wear. All new shock mounts installed at $600 value. Bases avail...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
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.