Set of Six Wire Chairs with Dowel Legs and Bikini Pad by Charles and Ray Eames
About the Item
- Creator:Herman Miller (Manufacturer),Charles and Ray Eames (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 19 in (48.26 cm)Depth: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. One chair has a break on the wire frame that can easily be re-soldered. See final image.
- Seller Location:Dorchester, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU837837644452
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Dorchester, MA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Early Oak DCW Dining Chair by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles EamesLocated in Dorchester, MAThe DCW dining chair is a classic mid-century plywood design by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, both functional and comfortable. This model, made in the 1950s, is constructe...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsOak, Rubber
- Early Oak LCM Chair by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Dorchester, MAThis early 1950s Herman Miller production of Charles and Ray Eames's classic bent plywood LCM chair, in oak and chrome, has all the original parts and is in very good vintage condition.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Rare DCM Side Chair with Magazine Rack by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Dorchester, MAThis rare iteration of the Eames's DCM side chair, produced by Herman Miller between 1950 and 1954, features a chrome wire magazine rack below the seat. The bent plywood is finished ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Set of Six Cherry Dining Chairs by John WiddicombBy John WiddicombLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by John Widdicomb, this elegant set of six dining chairs features solid cherry frames with tapered backs and slender legs. The seats are upholstered in a rich moss green. ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Cherry
- Set of Six Rosewood Dining Chairs by Arne Vodder for SibastBy Sibast, Arne VodderLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Arne Vodder for Sibast, these high-back dining chairs feature slender rosewood frames with slanted dowels joined to a graceful curved backrest. They retain their original...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
- Set of Six Teak Dining Chairs, Models 191 & 192, by Finn JuhlBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Finn Juhl for France & Son and imported by John Stuart, this handsome set of six dining chairs features generous seats that float within teak frames. They are upholstered...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak, Faux Leather
- Original 1960's Herman Miller Charles & Ray Eames Bikini Wire Chairs set of 4By Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Las Vegas, NVSet of 4 Herman Miller "Bikini" chairs in factory white with aluminum bases and dark green vinyl cover. Circa early 1960's. Well loved and cared for. One has been reweld repaired and...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum, Iron
- 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
- Vintage Set of 6 Cherry Red Fiberglass Dowel Chairs by Charles & Ray EamesBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Geneva, CHSet of 6 vintage cherry red fiberglass dowel side chairs by Charles & Ray Eames, Vitra ca. 1970's Very good condition, solid walnut new bases.Category
Vintage 1970s Swiss Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass, Walnut
- "DKR-2" Set of 4 Wire Chairs 'Bikini' by Eames for Herman Miller, 1960By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated 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
- 1950, Charles and Ray Eames, Set of Four DKR Chairs Red Leather BikinisBy Vitra, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach,...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- DCM Chair 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 ste...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPlywood
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.