Pair of Charles Eames DCM Chairs
View Similar Items
Pair of Charles Eames DCM Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.75 in (75.57 cm)Width: 19.25 in (48.9 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1960's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Original vintage condition. There is some wear on the seats and backs and a couple of spots to the chrome.
- Seller Location:San Mateo, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU95361028928
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.
- Pair of Rörstrand Hand Decorated VasesBy RörstrandLocated in San Mateo, CAPair of hand decorated vases by Rörstrand. These are decorated on two sides of each vase. The shape is probably a Carl-Harry Stalhane design.Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
$250 / set - Pair of Walnut Nightstands by John Kapel for Glenn of CaliforniaBy Glenn of California, John KapelLocated in San Mateo, CAPair of walnut nightstands designed by John Kapel for Glenn of California. These feature a book or magazine holder on the inside of a large single door. The inside has one adjustabl...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsLaminate, Walnut
- George Nelson Desk for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in San Mateo, CADouble pedestal desk by Herman Miller. This desk was probably a custom order. There are three wide drawers and three small drawers. The top small drawer has a sliding pencil...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Rosewood Chests by Poul Norreklit for Sigurd HansenBy Sigurd Hansen Møbelfabrik, Poul NørreklitLocated in San Mateo, CAPair of rosewood dressers designed by Poul Norreklit. These were made by Sigurd Hansen Mobelfabrik of Denmark. The legs and handles are chrome plated. The grain on the rosewood is ou...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Rosewood and Glass End Tables by Henning NorgaardBy Henning Norgaard, KomfortLocated in San Mateo, CAPair of rosewood and glass end tables designed by Henning Norgaard. The frames are solid Brazilian rosewood. These are in original condition. The glass top on one table has a few sma...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsGlass, Rosewood
- Pair of Murano Glass Urn Shaped VasesLocated in San Mateo, CAPair of Murano urn shaped glass vases. These are a green opaque foamy glass.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Vases
MaterialsArt Glass
$400 / set
- Charles Eames DCM Dining ChairBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Vienna, ATCharles Eames DCM dining chair with seat and back of molded walnut veneer, chromed steel. Designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1946. Produced by Herma...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Black Eames DCM ChairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Los Angeles, CAWe have 4 black DCM (dining chair metal) chair by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Original and in great condition.Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsChrome
$900 / item - DCM Chair by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Los Angeles, CADCM chair (Dining metal chair) by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Designed in 1946, this molded plywood + chromed ste...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPlywood
- 16 DCM Chairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Los Angeles, CADCM chair (Dining metal chair) by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Designed in 1946, this molded plywood + chromed steel chair is a classic design. Sometimes referred to as the "potato chip chair...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Early Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller DCM Chair in Oak, 1953By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Los Angeles, CAEarly Charles Eames for Herman Miller Company molded plywood dining chair in oak with wonderful patina. The oak version is very rare, only one year in production.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Early Eames DCM Birch Plywood Dining ChairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYNice set of early 1950s DCM chairs, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. These are well-preserved second generation examples in a fetching birch and black combinatio...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$6,500 / set
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.