Canary Yellow Zenith Rope Edge Armchair by Eames
View Similar Items
Canary Yellow Zenith Rope Edge Armchair by Eames
About the Item
- Creator:Herman Miller (Manufacturer),Charles and Ray Eames (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 24.5 in (62.23 cm)Depth: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Fiberglass,Molded
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: OAM00611stDibs: LU954116727941
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 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. As you can see on 1stDibs, such instantly recognizable furnishings have become timeless — staples of a modernist décor; striking, offbeat notes in traditional environments.
- Pair of Eames Elephant Hide ArmchairsBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of original elephant hide fiberglass armchairs, designed by Ray and Charles Eames, manufactured by Herman Miller. An early 1950s version, each has a...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFiberglass
$3,600 / set - Eames Elephant Hide Gray Zenith Rope Edge ArmchairBy Herman Miller, Zenith, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYSet of four early, 1st generation Zenith rope-edge armchairs, designed by Ray and Charles Eames for Herman Miller. In an uncommon and highly desirable elephant hide...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
$12,000 / set - Eames Seafoam Rope-Edge Zenith ArmchairBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NY1st generation rope-edge Parchment fiberglass armchair, on original swivel maple base, designed by Ray and Charles Eames for Herman Miller. Distinct thread texture that varies in sat...Category
Mid-20th Century Swivel Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Brilliant Yellow 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
- Ochre Yellow 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
- Eames for Herman Miller Parchment DSS Shell ChairsBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYOriginal 1960s molded fiberglass parchment white shell chairs on stacking base, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Gleaming shells ...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Charles and Ray Eames "DAR" Armchair by Zenith for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Zenith, Herman MillerLocated in Highland, INThe earliest fiberglass Eames chairs were produced by Zenith Plastics and came in a limited palate of five colors including parchment. The Zenith produced shells are distinctive for ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Original First Generation Eames Zenith Rope-Edge LAX Lounge ChairBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis first generation Zenith DAX lounge chair in Lemon yellow was designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. It features the original rope edge beneath the chair, as well a...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1950 Eames PAW Herman Miller Zenith Dowel Leg Chair Rope Edge Lemon YellowBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Hyattsville, MDCharles and Ray Eames paw walnut dowel leg fiberglass swivel armchair for Zenith Plastics / Herman Miller Inc. A 1st generation/production rope edge fiberglass armchair example. Fr...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$2,640 Sale Price20% Off - Herman Miller DAT Executive armchair Designed by Charles & Ray EamesBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Offenburg, Baden WurthembergHerman Miller DAT fibre plastic armchair on office base, Designed by Charles & Ray Eames in 1948. Off-white fibre plastic armshell, DAT shivel base equipped with tilt function, hei...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Early Zenith Parchment DAX Fiberglass Shell Armchair for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Zenith, Herman MillerLocated in San Jose, CAIconic design (DAX) dining armchair x-base by Ray and Charles Eames, circa early 1950's. This second generation parchment colored armchair retains a high gloss finish supported by th...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Early Rope-Edge Fiberglass Armchair by Charles Eames for Zenith/Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Charles and Ray Eames and manufactured between 1951 and 1952 by Zenith Plastics for Herman Miller, this is an early example of their classic fiberglass shell chair with a...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
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.