Eames Plywood Folding Room Divider for Herman Miller
View Similar Items
Eames Plywood Folding Room Divider for Herman Miller
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 68.9 in (175 cm)Width: 59.06 in (150 cm)Length: 68.9 in (175 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2000
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: VANONS EAMES1stDibs: LU1846320536532
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.
- German Wedding Chest from 1842Located in Amsterdam, Noord HollandPicturesque German dowry chest made in 1842. These chests were typically part of a young woman's dowry, filled with her linen and silver to move to ...Category
Antique 1840s German Rustic Trunks and Luggage
MaterialsPine
- Wedding Chest, Circa 1880Located in Amsterdam, Noord HollandA painted pine wedding chest from Hungary with the original blue paint, circa 1880. Clean on the inside. Neat coffee table, collector's item or st...Category
Antique 1880s Hungarian Folk Art Trunks and Luggage
MaterialsPine
- Pine Bench With Folding Legs, Circa 1900Located in Amsterdam, Noord HollandPine bench with folding legs, circa 1900. With nice hardware on the folding legs.Category
Antique Early 1900s French Rustic Benches
MaterialsIron
- Desk Lamp For Jumo, 1940'sBy Andre MouniqueLocated in Amsterdam, Noord HollandFantastic brass and black metal desk lamp n°71 by André Mounique produced by Jumo in France ca. 1940s. The lamp consists of corrugated steel and the original black-painted and chrome...Category
Vintage 1950s French Art Deco Table Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Brass
- Hans Wegner Danish modernist Sofa for Johannes Hansen, 1950s, DenmarkBy Johannes Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Amsterdam, Noord HollandDanish modernist sofa designed by famous designer Hans J. Wegner and produced by Johannes Hansen in the 1950s in Denmark. The sofa has solid oak legs and is upholstered in blue wool ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Oak
- Elm Armchair by Illum Wikkelso for Niels Eilersen, 1950's, DenmarkBy Niels Eilersen, Illum WikkelsøLocated in Amsterdam, Noord HollandThis beautifully designed chair made of solid elm wood was designed by Illum Wikkelso. You can also clearly see his signature in it with the beautiful round sloping lines. The chair ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsElm, Leather
- Original 1950s Eames for Herman Miller FSW-6 Folding Screen Room DividerBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYAn early molded plywood screen divider in calico ash, designed by Charles & Ray Eames, manufactured by Herman Miller. The screen's ingenious design allows it to be formed into a vari...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsAsh
- Eames 6 Panel Oak Room Divider by Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Toledo, OHEames 6 panel oak room divider by Herman Miller. Designed by Charles and Ray Eames and Manufactured by Herman Miller in the 1940's. A durable woven polypropylene mesh connects the 6 ...Category
Mid-20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsOak, Bentwood
- Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller Plywood Folding Screen Ash Veneer 1950sBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Cathedral City, CAThis is an iconic piece of American design history, designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1946, for Herman Miller. This example is one of the earlier versions produced between 1946-1955. The veneer is a warm ash. The connecting fabric is a cotton canvas and allows for the screen to bend in a multitude of ways producing a screen in a variant of formations and also allows the screen to fold nearly flat for storage or shipping. A true classic! We have included several detail photos so you can get a true picture of condition, As is common with these older screens...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsAsh, Plywood, Canvas
- Folding Screen - Room DividerLocated in Hellerup, DKTall and decorative vintage stained wood screen or room divider. At one time the room divider had fabric attached on one side. Fabric can of course be reapplied if one should wish to...Category
Vintage 1950s French Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsWood
- Early Rare Eames Screen Room Divider FSW-6 in RosewoodBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Seattle, WAAn extremely rare first generation Eames FSW-6 privacy screen, in Rosewood Veneer at 68 height, with cotton fabric connector in good condition, no tears, fraying at the end. Rosewo...Category
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsRosewood, Plywood
- Folding Screen 'Kimono' Room DividerBy Daniel Nikolovski and Danu ChirinciucLocated in San Pietro di Morubio, VeronaEnriched with refined details, this superb screen is a functional way to create privacy, divide areas in a large room or loft, while providing a stylish statement in a home. The stru...Category
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsMetal
$8,822 / item
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.