Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
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.
1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Rosewood, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton, Polyester
1960s American Space Age Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Chrome
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Ash
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
Mid-20th Century Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak, Bentwood
1940s American Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Birch
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel, Chrome
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Rosewood, Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Plastic, Wood
Mid-20th Century German Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Canvas, Plywood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut, Plywood
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Canvas, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Austrian Art Deco Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak
1980s German Scandinavian Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton
1980s Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Beech
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Revival Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Mirror, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Bamboo
20th Century Southeast Asian Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Teak
1970s Space Age Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Plexiglass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Plastic, Wood
1990s North American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Ash, Plywood
1990s North American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Ash, Plywood
Late 20th Century German Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Birch, Plywood
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut
1990s North American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Ash, Rosewood, Plywood
1990s North American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Ash, Rosewood, Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Canvas, Ash, Plywood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Plywood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut, Plywood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Charles and Ray Eames More Furniture and Collectibles
Plywood
Charles And Ray Eames more furniture and collectibles for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to Charles and Ray Eames
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Charles and Ray Eames are famous for their chair designs. The couple released their first iconic Eames Lounge and Ottoman in 1956 and went on to create more chairs that changed the idea of comfortable seating. In addition to being great furniture designers, Ray and Charles were also graphic and textile designers, architects and film-makers. Shop a collection of Eames chairs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022For Charles and Ray Eames’ chairs designed for Herman Miller, molded plywood, fiberglass-reinforced plastic, bent and welded wire mesh, and cast aluminum were used in production. You can shop a collection of Eames furniture from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Charles and Ray Eames have been recognized as the 20th century’s most influential designers and are best known for their highly recognizable chairs. The Eames lounge chair and ottoman are an iconic duo in modern-styled furniture, and 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. Find vintage Charles and Ray Eames furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Rosewood was the favorite wood of famed American designers Charles and Ray Eames. Rosewood made its way into some of the duo’s most celebrated designs, including the iconic Eames lounge chair. On 1stDibs, you’ll find a collection of genuine Eames furniture from some of the world’s top sellers.