La Fonda Side Chair by Charles Eames
View Similar Items
La Fonda Side Chair by Charles Eames
About the Item
- Creator:Charles Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 18.75 in (47.63 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)Seat Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1961
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Hudson, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU84731593942
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.
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.
- RAR Second Edition Rocking Armchair by Charles Eames for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Hudson, NYOriginal fiberglass armed shell on black wire base with birch rocker struts and large rubber mounts. Marked on bottom, Herman Miller. The chair was on carpet most of its life.Category
Vintage 1950s American Organic Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Folding Chair by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Hudson, NYInvalid furniture war design in 1890's ,this example is from early 1920s folding bentwood chair partial paper label under the seat ,picture of this m...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
$1,100 - Cone Chair by Verner PantonBy Fritz Hansen, Verner PantonLocated in Hudson, NYOriginal condition, iconic swiveling cone shaped chair with four steel feet and black glides. Made by Fritz Hansen. Original vinyl upholstery.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Scandinavian 1930's Easy ChairLocated in Hudson, NY1930's Large Scandinavian lounge chair new fabric upholstery. Beach wood legs spring system on the seat and back.Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Jack Lenor Larsen 6 sides 2 arm ChairsBy Jack Lenor LarsenLocated in Hudson, NYTwo arm and 10 side chairs solid maple original condition label.Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMaple
$7,500 / set - Easy Chair by Elias Svedberg 1940'sBy Elias Svedberg, KnollLocated in Hudson, NYRare chair, curved back on birch legs. Distributed by Knoll in the 1940's for a few years. new upholstery made by NK original label restored reupholstered.Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- "La Fonda" C. Eames by H. Miller Space Age Design Fiberglass Shell Two ChairBy Herman Miller, Charles EamesLocated in Brescia, ITBlack fiberglass shell seat Aluminium base.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Mid Century Eames La Fonda Chairs by Herman Miller Newly Upholstered - PairBy Charles Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Chicago, ILMid Century Modern Eames La Fonda Chairs by Herman Miller Newly Upholstered in Zebra Print Cow Hide - Pair Rare pair of mid century modern Eames for Herman Miller chairs on an alum...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Fibreglass La Fonda Chair by Charles & Ray Eames for Vitra, 1960sBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Bruxelles, BELa Fonda chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Alexander Girard’s La Fonda del Sol restaurant in New York, 1960s. The chair has a gra...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- La Fonda Chairs by Eames for Herman Miller with Peter Max FabricBy Herman MillerLocated in Phoenix, AZPair of La Fonda chairs by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller circa mid 1960s. These seldom seen examples have white powder coated La Fonda bases and have been upholstered in a playful psychedelic dead stock Peter Max fabric...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- "La Fonda" Charles Eames by Hermann Miller Design Fiberglass Shell Two ChairsBy Herman Miller, Charles EamesLocated in Brescia, IT"La Fonda" Charles Eames & Alexander Girard by Hermann Miller, circa 1960s. Ivory fiberglass shell seat Aluminium base.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsAluminum
- La Fonda Chairs by Eames for Vitra, Original Fabric, Fiberglass, 1960sBy Vitra, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in amstelveen, NLLa Fonda chairs by Eames for Vitra, Orange, Fiberglass, 1960s. This lovely set of two La Fonda armchairs is the absolute eye-catcher in every styl...Category
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsAbalone, Wool, Fiberglass
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.