Set of Four Eames for Herman Miller DKR-2 Bikini Dining Chairs
View Similar Items
Set of Four Eames for Herman Miller DKR-2 Bikini Dining Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Charles Eames (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 19 in (48.26 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:St. Louis, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU91517342993
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.
- Set of Four Eames for Herman Miller Black DKR Wire Chairs on Eiffel BasesBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Ferndale, MICharles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller DKR wire chairs on Eiffel tower bases. All four chairs have been refinished in a correct tone matte black powder...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Eames for Herman Miller DKR Bikini Low ChairBy Herman MillerLocated in New York, NYCharles Eames (American, 1907-1978) for Herman Miller DKR Bikini black wire chairs with low cat's cradle base, with original orange vinyl covering. 2...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- "DKR-2" Set of 4 Wire Chairs 'Bikini' by Eames for Herman Miller, 1960By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in The Hague, NLSet of 4 "model DKR-2" chairs were designed in the 1950s by Ray & Charles Eames for Herman Miller and produced by Vitra. In 1951, Charles and Ray Eames met the challenge of making a...Category
Vintage 1960s Central American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- 1957 Set of 6 Herman Miller Eames DKR-2 Wire Dining Chairs w/ Base & Bikini PadsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is a vintage set of six Eames DKR-2 wire dining chairs with black bikini pads, produced circa 1957. The DKR was designed by Charles and Ray Eames, produced by Herman ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of Four Herman Miller Eames Dining ChairsBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYGorgeous set of 4 Herman Miller Eames dining chairs. Vintage fiberglass shells are stamped Herman Miller and guaranteed authentic. Surfaces has been custom recoated in vibrant colors...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Pair of Eames DCM Herman Miller Dining ChairsBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in New York, NYPair of Eames designed DCM (Dining Chair Metal). Chairs This pair of chairs are currently in later, but not new, orange paint finish, the metal frames are also in later black paint f...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$2,600 / set