Lilac Organic Chairs by Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen
View Similar Items
Lilac Organic Chairs by Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen
About the Item
- Creator:Charles Eames (Designer),Eero Saarinen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 27.96 in (71 cm)Depth: 25.99 in (66 cm)Seat Height: 14.18 in (36 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2010
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. Good vintage condition. Laminate seat shell, black dyed ash legs, upholstery is fully functional but slightly faded.
- Seller Location:Dronten, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU931424210632
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.
Eero Saarinen
Through his work as an architect and designer, Eero Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen’s furniture and his best-known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport in New York (opened 1962), Dulles International Airport in Virginia (1962) and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (1965).
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames.
At Cranbrook, Saarinen also met Florence Schust Knoll, who, as director of her husband Hans Knoll's eponymous furniture company, would put Saarinen’s best designs into production. These include the Grasshopper chair, designed in 1946 and so named because its angled bentwood frame resembles the insect; the Tulip chair (1957), a flower-shaped fiberglass shell mounted on a cast-aluminum pedestal; and the lushly contoured Womb lounge chair and ottoman (1948). In his furniture as in his architecture, the keynotes of Eero Saarinen’s designs are simplicity, strength and grace.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen tables, chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Scandinavian Organic Recliner by Alf SvenssonBy Alf Svensson, Ljungs Industrier SwedenLocated in Dronten, NLLounge chair model Contour-Set 327 by Alf Svensson for Ljungs Industrier AB, Sweden. Adjustable in three different positions, very comfortable! Marked with the original label at the...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Oak
- Eero Saarinen for Knoll International Tulip ChairsBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Dronten, NLClassic Tulip dining chairs designed in 1956 by Eero Saarinen for Knoll International. A defining accomplishment of modern design and a timeless addition to your home—a true Classic....Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Triënnale Lounge Chair by Franco Albini, 1933By Franco AlbiniLocated in Dronten, NLTubular lounge chair designed by Franco Albini for the Triennale in Milan in 1933. The original black enameled frame emphasizes the graphic qualities of this design. The natural leat...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Lotus Adjustable Lounge Chair by Rob ParryBy Gerrit Rietveld, Rob ParryLocated in Dronten, NLReclinable Lotus lounge chair designed by Rob Parry for Gelderland. Rob Parry (The Hague, 1925-2023) was educated at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. His most important teacher...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- FH Ax Arm Chair by Peter HvidtBy Peter Hvidt, Fritz HansenLocated in Dronten, NLArmchair designed by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard–Nielsen and produced in 1963 by Fritz Hansen, Denmark. The chair is press shaped in laminated beechwood, the seat is upholstered w...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Birch, Teak
- Ligne Roset "Croissant" ChairBy Ligne RosetLocated in Dronten, NLVery elegant sweeping lounge chair by Ligne Roset with cast bronze legs in yellow Alcantara. Some wear to the Alcantara but very well maintained and free of stains. Very rare piece, ...Category
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBronze
- Rare Pair of "Kleinhans" Chairs, circa 1939 Charles Eames/Eero SaarinenBy Charles Eames, Eero SaarinenLocated in Buffalo, NYIconic "Kleinhans" armchairs, designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen, early chair, collaboration of two modern masters, designed for the Mary Seaton room at Kleinhans music hall...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsBirch, Plywood
- Mid-Century Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen for Vitra Organic Dining Chairs PairBy Charles Eames, Vitra, Eero SaarinenLocated in Secaucus, NJThe iconic classic organic chair was designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen in 1940 as a joint entry to the "Organic Design in Home Furnishings" A competition organized by the ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
MaterialsFabric, Ash, Oak
- 2021 Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen Organic Chair by Vitra in Dark Green FabricBy Charles Eames, VitraLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is an Organic chair designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen as part of their submission for the Organic Designs in Home Furnishings exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in...Category
2010s German Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman, Knoll, USA, 1950sBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in London, GBAn early production Eero Saarinen womb chair and ottoman, made by Knoll, USA, 1950s. Newly upholstered in luxurious pure Alpaca fabric (brown / grey) with a structure of fibreglass, black enameled steel frames and first edition feet / glides. Fast shipping worldwide. When asked by Florence Knoll to design 'a chair that was like a basket full of cushions - something she could really curl up in', Eero Saarinen produced the Womb chair...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen for Vitra Organic Conference Chairs, Set of 4By Charles Eames, Vitra, Eero SaarinenLocated in Secaucus, NJThe iconic classic organic chair was designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen in 1940 as a joint entry to the "organic design in home furnishings" A competition organized by the M...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
MaterialsAsh, Oak, Fabric
- Eero Saarinen ‘Womb’ Lounge Chair in Red and Black UpholsteryBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Waalwijk, NLEero Saarinen for Knoll, 'Womb' easy chair, fabric, coated steel, United States, design 1948 This shelled, cushioned lounge chair ‘Womb’ was designed between 1946 and 1948 by Eero...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel