Lounge Chair by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller, USA
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31.11 in (79 cm)Width: 33.47 in (85 cm)Depth: 35.44 in (90 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:
Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman
Long before it was the pièce de résistance in a collector’s office or an upscale bachelor pad — landing in ample design magazines, on television and in well-appointed offices over the years — the Eames lounge chair was a fresh, subversive new take on a classic club chair and a culmination of experimentation by its inventive creators.
Charles and Ray Eames (1907–78; 1912–88) met while studying at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the prestigious Michigan institution that drew such illustrious design minds as Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen and more. After graduation, they formed the Eames Office, where they spent much time exploring and formulating new techniques in bent plywood and fiberglass with the goal of producing affordable furniture for a mass market. The Eames lounger, on the other hand — with its signature wood-grain back and sumptuous (usually black) leather seat — was different.
While the couple’s DCW chairs, introduced in the 1940s, prioritized ease of production and affordability of materials, the lounge, which debuted in 1956, was Charles and Ray’s interpretation of luxury furniture. And to the Eameses, luxury meant, above all, comfort. The couple famously called the lounge chair and ottoman “a special refuge from the strains of modern living” and described their design as having the “warm receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.”
Although the seat makes use of the same bentwood technique the Eameses pioneered using their famous “Kazam! Machine” (a handmade apparatus for molding plywood) for their DCW chairs, it tops off this frame with supple leather over a plump, upholstered shape.
Ever fascinated by ergonomics, the Eameses carefully calibrated the pitch of the seat. It has enough flexibility for comfort but not so much that stability is sacrificed. This precise shape comes by way of three connected plywood pieces, which, on early models were covered in five layers of Brazilian rosewood; owing to an early 1990s-era embargo on the material, however, the Brazilian rosewood has since been replaced with either ash, walnut or palisander. The accompanying ottoman is the icing on the comfort cake, inviting the sitter to quite literally kick back and relax.
Today, imitations of the Eames lounge chair and ottoman abound. The seat is currently manufactured by both Herman Miller and Vitra, and when it was launched initially by the former, the supporting marketing blitz emphasized the chair’s versatility — an effort that, given the seat’s current ubiquitousness, was clearly successful.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Wilnis, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- EA124 Chair by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller, USA 1960By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Amsterdam, NLA wonderful lounge chair, model EA 124, designed by Charles & Ray Eames and manufactured by Herman Miller in the USA around 1960. This eye-catching chair is a highly recognizable ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- “LCM” Easy Chair by Charles & Ray Eames for Evans, USA 1960By Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Amsterdam, NLAn iconic easy chair, model LCM, designed by Charles & Ray Eames and manufactured by Evans in the USA around 1960. LCM stands for “Lounge Chair Metal”, because of the metal base, and is a timeless design by the iconic designer duo. The thin black lacquered tubular metal base provides sturdy support and an elegant style. The seat and backrest are crafted from brown oak wood, creating a warm and inviting aesthetic. The LCM design is celebrated for its simplicity, ergonomic shape, and the innovative use of materials which is typical for the Eameses’ approach to furniture design. Because of the round, organic shapes of the two wooden elements, this piece was soon nicknamed the “Potato Chip Chair...Category
Vintage 1960s American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- “EA222” Chair by Charles & Ray Eames for Vitra, Germany 1990By Vitra, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Amsterdam, NLA wonderful lounge chair, model EA 222, designed by Charles & Ray Eames and manufactured by Vitra in Germany around 1990. This eye-catching chair is a highly recognizable piece of m...Category
Late 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Rare Eames Zenith Rocking Chair for Herman Miller, USA 1950By Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Amsterdam, NLA very rare rocking chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames, manufactured by Zenith / Herman Miller in the United States of America around 1950. The first fiberglass Eames chairs were produced by Zenith Plastics and came in a limited palate of five colors. The yellow coloured edition is one of those. The early Zenith shells are distinctive for their high fiber content and larger, more substantial rubber shock mounts. It comes on a new rocker...Category
Vintage 1950s American Rocking Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1950s Rare Eames Zenith Side Chair for Herman Miller, USABy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Amsterdam, NLA very rare side chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames, manufactured by Zenith / Herman Miller in the United States of America around 1950. The first fiberglass Eames chairs were pr...Category
Vintage 1950s American Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Lounge Chair by Kwok Hoï Chan for Steiner, France, 1969By Kwok Hoi Chan, SteinerLocated in Amsterdam, NLBeautiful lounge chair designed bij Kwok Hoï Chan, manufactured by Steiner in France in 1969. This chair is newly upholstered in amazing quality black leather. It's chrome metal ...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Charles & Ray Eames LCW Walnut Lounge Chair for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles Eames, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Amsterdam, NLIconic LCW lounge chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames in Walnut Plywood and manufactured by Herman Miller USA. The veneer and chair is in very good / excellent as new condition wit...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsRubber, Plywood
- Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Lounge ChairLocated in New York, NYCharles and Ray Eames (American, 1907-1978; 1912-1988) for Herman Miller Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chair, with black leather upholstery. 32.5" H x 31.75" W x 34.25" D; seat: 16.25" H.Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Upholstery, Wood
- Set of Two '2' Herman Miller LCW Lounge Chairs by Charles & Ray Eames, USABy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Deland, FLStately, minimal but certainly not understated. This 90's produced pair of LCW chairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller has been reimaged in matte black; offered for your consideration as a limited custom release from ABT Modern. From the first of the plywood series, the abbreviated Eames LCW Chair was the Lounge Height (L) Side Chair (C) on Wood (W) Base. Designed by Charles Eames and first manufactured by the Evans Molded Plywood Division, the chair has long gained classic status. The techniques used to make these unique chairs had been developed during the war years and was evident in the Eames Splint, made for and utilized by the US Navy. The Eames LCW Plywood Chair...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Eames lounge by Ray & Charles Eames by Mobilier International for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Buggenhout, Oost-VlaanderenExceptional find! Stylish & original early Eames lounge chair & ottoman. A beautiful and very rare combination : Brazilian rosewood with beige/cream leather. Still 100% original. ...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Charles and Ray Eames Walnut LCM Lounge Chair by Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Highland, INThe LCM is our favorite of the Eames plywood chair designs. The metal frame gives an overall visual lightness and makes the wood seat and back appe...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Mid-Century Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller, Oak and Leather, 1980sCategory
Vintage 1980s European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
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.
Iconic Furniture Makes This 1958 Midwestern Home a True Mid-Century Gem
Designer Susan Yeley turned to 1stDibs to outfit an Indiana home with standout pieces that complement its modernist style.