Eames Lemon Yellow Zenith Rope-Edge, RAR Rocker by Herman Miller
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Design:Eames RAR RockerEames Shell Chairs Series
- Dimensions:Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 25 in (63.5 cm)Depth: 27 in (68.58 cm)
- 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. Good original vintage condition with slight oxidation to the metal parts.
- Seller Location:Highland, IN
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU90914852623
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: Highland, IN
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Eames RAR Rocking Chair by Zenith for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Highland, INThe early Zenith shells are distinctive for their high fiber content and larger, more substantial rubber shock mounts, a translucent quality to the fiberglass. RAR was the designatio...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsIron
- 1st Generation Eames RKR Rocker by Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Highland, INCharles and Ray Eames designed their fiberglass and wire chairs to be fitted with a wide variety of bases to offer a range of heights, uses, and aesthetics. One of the most desirable...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Set of Four Eames Zenith Dar Armchairs by Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Highland, INThe earliest fiberglass Eames chairs were produced by Zenith Plastics and came in a limited palate of five colors including lemon yellow. The Zenith produced shells are distinctive f...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Charles and Ray Eames "DAR" Armchair by Zenith for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Zenith, Herman MillerLocated in Highland, INThe earliest fiberglass Eames chairs were produced by Zenith Plastics and came in a limited palate of five colors including parchment. The Zenith produced shells are distinctive for ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Eames CTW-3 Coffee Table by Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Highland, INThis early vintage coffee table by Charles and Ray Eames is an important and iconic design. The result of the couple's experiments in molded plywood, the table is visually and physic...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsAsh
- Eames LKH-2 Lounge with Girard Upholstery by Herman MillerBy Alexander Girard, Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Highland, INThis terrific example of the Eames LKH-2 easy chair has a black wire seat, a bikini pad in magenta naugahyde designed by Alexander Girard and a zinc lounge ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Herman Miller Eames RAR Rocker in ParchmentBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYGorgeous edition of the design classics model RAR rocking chair by Charles and Ray Eames and manufactured by Herman Miller. Clean parchment shell with ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Herman Miller Eames RAR Rocker in Red OrangeBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYGorgeous edition of the design classics model RAR rocking chair by Charles and Ray Eames and manufactured by Herman Miller. Clean shell with gorgeous and vibrant red orange hue and n...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Zenith Shell Rocking Chair RAR by Eames for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Sagaponack, NYThe iconic rocker: Zenith Shell Rocking Chair RAR designed by Charles and Ray Eames featuring the iconic organically shaped fiberglass shell resting ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Eames for Herman Miller Zenith RAR Rocking Chair w/ Rope Edge Original Base 1950By Herman Miller, Ray EamesLocated in Keego Harbor, MIA rare “RAR” (Rocking Chair on Rod) designed by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Cream/yellow fiberglass shell seat produced by Zenith Plastics, 2nd edition, circa 1950s. Rope ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsPlastic
- Early Charles Eames RAR Rocking Chair, Zenith , rope edge / Herman MillerBy Charles Eames, ZenithLocated in Buffalo, NYThe early Zenith shells are distinctive for their high fiber content and larger, more substantial rubber shock mounts, a translucent quality to the fiberglass. RAR was the designatio...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsZinc
- 1 Herman Miller Orange Shell Fiberglass RAR Rocker by EamesBy Herman MillerLocated in Pasadena, TXHerman Miller shell fiberglass rocker Manufactured in the 1960s-1970s this rocker is one of the most iconic designs from Charles and Ra...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
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.