Charles and Ray Eames Set of Two Armchairs Time-Life Herman Miller, 1960
View Similar Items
Charles and Ray Eames Set of Two Armchairs Time-Life Herman Miller, 1960
About the Item
- Creator:Herman Miller (Manufacturer),Charles and Ray Eames (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.44 in (90 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 24.41 in (62 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Post-Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor structural damages.
- Seller Location:Montecatini Terme, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5304222272732
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.
- Ettore Sottsass Canada Armchair in Blue Velvet and Wood Poltronova 1960sBy Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITCanada settee armchair with a structure in wood, seat and back in padded blue-green velvet. It was designed by Ettore Sottsass Jr in 1959 and produced by the Italian company Poltro...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Ettore Sottsass Flying Carpet Armchair by Bedding Brevetti 1970s ItalyBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITThe Flying Carpet or Tappeto Volante armchair is an iconic seat with a base and an armrest in beech wood, the seat, and the back are made with polyuret...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Velvet
- Sergio Mazza Toga Chair in Black Fiberglass by Artemide 1960s ItalyBy Sergio Mazza, ArtemideLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITToga chair was realized in hot-press moulded black fibreglass designed by Sergio Mazza in 1968 and manufactured by Artemide, Italy. The Toga chair is pa...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Tobia & Afra Scarpa Armchair in Wood and Leather by Maxalto 1975 ItalyBy Maxalto, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITA single armchair with a frame in wood and cushions upholstery with leather (cognac shade) designed by Tobia and Afra Scarpa and manufactured by Maxalto from the Artona series 1975 c...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Franco Albini PL19 or Tre Pezzi Armchair in White Wool by Poggi Pavia, 1950sBy Poggi, Franco Albini and Franca HelgLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITPL19 also known as Tre Pezzi armchair with black enameled steel tube structure, upholstered in white Mongolian goat wool. Designed by Franco Albini & Franca Helg for Poggi, Pavia...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Ezio Longhi Mitzi Armchair in Black Wood and Red Velvet for Elam Italy 1950sBy Ezio Longhi, ElamLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITMid-century modern Mitzi armchair with a black ebonized wooden structure, seat, and, back upholstered with a bright red velvet. Designed by the Italian designer Ezio Longhi for E...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
$1,747 Sale Price20% Off
- 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
- Herman Miller DAT Executive armchair Designed by Charles & Ray EamesBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated 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
- Time life chair Herman Miller Charles and Ray EamesBy Herman MillerLocated in Pasadena, TXTimeLife Chair Herman Miller designed by Charles Eames Height: 35.5 in (90.17 cm)Width: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Depth: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm) Style: Mid-Century M...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Time Life Desk Chair by Charles Eames for Herman Miller, 1984, Signed & DatedBy Charles Eames, Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis rare color-way in beautiful red leather is the Time Life Executive Chair (Model ES-104) by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, originally designed in 1960 for the Time Life...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- EA217 black Soft Pad Chairs by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman miller, 1970s, SetBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Lasne, BEBlack leather chair with aluminium base and wheels. Swivels on itself and is height-adjustable. Minimum seat height 47 cm, maximum seat height 54 cm. Maximum total height of the chai...Category
Vintage 1970s Central American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk...
MaterialsAluminum
- Ea 216 Soft Pad Desk Chair by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller, 1970sBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Lasne, BELeather chair with aluminum base and wheels. Stamped Herman Miller under the seat. The chair turns on itself and reclines. Seat height: 53 cm. Wear due to time and age.Category
Vintage 1970s Central American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk...
MaterialsAluminum
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.