Set of Three Wire Chair DKX 5 by Ray & Charles Eames Designed in 1951
View Similar Items
Set of Three Wire Chair DKX 5 by Ray & Charles Eames Designed in 1951
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31.75 in (80.65 cm)Width: 18.75 in (47.63 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 3
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Metal,Patinated
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. Original vintage unrestored condition. Patina, rust, nicks present. Refer to images.
- Seller Location:Chula Vista, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU97159488231
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.
- 1950s Bent Plywood Lounge Chair Metal Base After EamesBy Herman MillerLocated in Chula Vista, CAAMBIANIC presents Late 1950s Molded Chair after Eames for Herman Miller marvelous midcentury chair Sculptural black Iron base Features Molded wood seat and back rest. No label, chai...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Iron
$450 Sale Price50% Off - 1950s Vintage Brown Leather Paddle Chairs Set of FourBy George NelsonLocated in Chula Vista, CA1950s Vintage Brown Leather Paddle Armchairs set of four after George Nelson 32 h x 20 d x 23 w Seat 18 Armrest 26 Preowned vintage condition unrestored...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- 1950s Eames for Herman Miller Dax Fiberglass Shell Armchair ParchmentBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Chula Vista, CAGorgeous early production 1950s classic Eames for Herman Miller Dax Molded Fiberglass Shell Armchair parchment with black metal base 31 h x 24.5 w x 23.5 d Arm rest 25 Seat 18 Preow...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
$975 Sale Price35% Off - 2 Modern Side Chairs in Oak, Style of Paul Laszlo Glenn of Calif 1960s RestoredBy Paul Laszlo, Glenn of CaliforniaLocated in Chula Vista, CAChairs Modern pair of side chairs in oak wood style of Paul Laszlo USA 1960s Unmarked. Selling as a pair. Measures: 31.5 H x 17 W x 18.75 D Seat: H 18 inches Original vintage conditi...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- 1950s Chiavari Chair in Bronze ItalyBy ChiavariLocated in Chula Vista, CA1950s Chiavari Chair in Bronze Italy patinated bronze sophisticated upholstery in light gray. 36 H x 15 W x 14 D Seat 19.75 H inches Original Unrestored Vintage condition. New uphols...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBronze
- Folding Director's Chair Vintage in the Style of Gae Aulenti 1964 Zanotta AprilBy Gae AulentiLocated in Chula Vista, CADirector's Folding Chair In the style of Gae Aulenti and her folding Zanotta April chair 1964 design, Italy. Dominant color is orange-rust. Unmarked pie...Category
Vintage 1970s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 6 Ray & Charles Eames Side Chairs in Alexander Girard for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Berlin, DESet of 6 Original condition Ray & Charles Eames Side Chairs in Fiberglass, USA - 1970s. Upholstered in a Alexander Girard mill mosaic diamond fabric. Fair Condition. Ray and Char...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Aluminium chair by Charles and Ray Eames, set of 2 chairsBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Porto, PTEA 116 chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames, in the late 50s. Blach steel teggs and grey leather upholstery. Functional , strong and elegant. A set of 2 chairsCategory
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- DAX Armchair by Charles & Ray EamesBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Sagaponack, NYA rope edge fiberglass "Zenith" shell chair with a brushed steel X-base, in elephant grey.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Herman Miller Vintage Eames DKX Chair Black Upholstered Padded Vinyl Wire FrameBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Philadelphia, PAVintage Eames upholstered DKX wire frame chair for Herman Miller on its original low black base. Item features believed to be an original 1st edition ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Armchairs by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller, 1970s, set of 6By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Lasne, BESet of 6 fiberglass chairs in orange color with chrome metal legs. Stamped H by Herman Miller on the bottom. Wear due to time and age of chairs. Seat height:...Category
Vintage 1970s Central American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Early Set of Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller Chairs in ZebrawoodBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in East Hampton, NYA set of 4 of beautifully grained early DCM chairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller in a very hard to find zebrawood pressure molded plywood on chr...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern 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.