Charles, Ray Eames Molded Plywood Chair, Black Birch and Leather, Herman Miller
View Similar Items
Charles, Ray Eames Molded Plywood Chair, Black Birch and Leather, Herman Miller
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Maker)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 22 in (55.88 cm)Depth: 25 in (63.5 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2006
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Good vintage condition. Minor age appropriate wear. Some scuffs and worn areas at feet and edges.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4190320669852
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.
- Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller DKX-1 Chair, Black Leather, H-Base, 1955By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYCharles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller DKX-1 chairs, set of four, black leather, H-base, circa 1954, Boot glides The abbreviated Eames DKX chair, part of the Wire Mesh Series, stood for Dining (D) height, K-Wire (K) chair on X-base (X). As with all the mesh series, the numbers represented the upholstery cut, with 1 meaning the full chair cover and 2 the two-part ‘bikini’ version. The X in the name of the DKX, LKX and MKX stands for the X-base, an original patterned base with a clear criss-cross where the base joins the top. This base was developed for the plastic series and was later utilized for the wire mesh chairs...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$8,840 Sale Price / set35% Off - Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller DKX-1 Chair, Black Leather, H-Base, 1955By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYCharles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller DKX-1 chair, black leather, H-base, circa 1954, Boot glides .Pricing is per chair. Please change quantity to 4 to purchase entire set. The ab...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Charles and Ray Eames Red Beech DCM Chair, Herman Miller, Dining, Side ChairBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYCharles and Ray Eames red beech DCM chair, Herman Miller, dining, side chair. Labeled. Designed in 1946. Produced in 2017. Authentic Eames chair for everywhere - a lovely complement to any dining room table or office, this chair’s curved plywood seat and back are designed to organically accommodate each sitter. They're connected to a light, streamlined steel frame with rubber shock mounts that flex to move with your body. The 1946 Eames DCM chair was the abbreviated name representing the dining height (D) side chair (C) on metal (M) rod base. The chair was part of a small series of chairs and tables which effectively kick started the career of Charles and Ray Eames into notoriety. History would soon coin the phrase ‘Eames Chairs’ largely based on the design and success of the first group of chairs including the DCM alongside the lounge version LCM as well as the wooden leg versions the DCW and LCW. The series were a result of a long-standing collaboration between Charles Eames and the Evans Plywood Company which had worked together, from the same location in Venice CA, throughout the war years. Eames molded plywood dining chair...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Charles & Ray Eames DAR Eiffel Rope Edge Chair, 1st Generation, 1950By Herman Miller, Zenith, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYCharles Eames (1907-1978) & Ray Eames (1912-1988) for Zenith Plastics / HermanMiller DAR Eiffel rope-edge chair Venice, California / Zeeland, Michigan, 1950 fiberglass, enameled steel early sticker label Measures: 24 7/8" W x 23 5/8" D x 31 3/8" H All original parts, including rare first gen. feet, which date the piece to the first batch of production (1950). Labelled. Gorgeous museum worthy piece. Quite possibly one of the most famous and iconic chairs ever, the Eames DAR would most commonly become known as the ‘eiffel chair’ due to its sculptured wire base resembling that of Europe’s most notorious landmark. The very first generation of the Eames DAR Eiffel Chair was recognizable not only for the ‘rope edge’ shell but also due to the protruding ‘1st gen’ feet as opposed to boot glides or later plastic feet. The abbreviated Eames DAR Chair stands for the Eames Dining (D) height, Arm (A) Chair, on Rod (R) Base released in the first year of arm chair production of the fiberglass series developed to the marketplace in 1950. The early success of the Eames arm chairs, released in 1950, was a co-ordinated effort between the Eames . Office (Designers), Zenith Plastics (Manufacturers) and Herman Miller (Distributors). The chair series was always designed to have interchangeable bases and the DAR was one of the ‘original 5’ alongside the DAX X-base, LAR cats cradle...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Vintage Eames Vitra La Chaise Chair, Original, Fiberglass First Generation, 1992By Vitra, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYCharles and Ray designed the iconic "La Chaise" lounge chair for The Museum of Modern Art’s 1948 International Competition for Furniture Design. Its name references both its functio...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Gieger Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Rosewood & Black Leather, Arflex Italia, 1960sBy Arflex, Martin GriersonLocated in Brooklyn, NYGieger Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Rosewood & Black Leather, Arflex Italia, 1960s Shell constructed of three elements of rosewood that connect via a fantastic black steel joint. Shel...Category
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- 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
- 70 Chairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Los Angeles, CAWe have 65 of the these original Herman Miller polypropylene molded chairs designed by Ray and Charle Eames. We have 65 white chairs.Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 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 LCW Lounge Chair in Birch by Charles & Ray Eames, Herman Miller, 1950sBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller, Charles EamesLocated in Vorst, BEAn early LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) in Birch. Produced by Herman Miller between 1952 and 1958 (the production of the LCW has been stopped in 1958 until its re-introduction in 1994). ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsPlywood, Birch
- 1970s Pair of Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller DCMU chairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in West Reading, PAThis is a pair of DCMU chairs, designed in 1970 by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. They were a newer, upholstered take on the classic bent wood DCM chair. The seat and back...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Plastic
- Six Stacking Chairs, Charles & Ray Eames, Herman Miller, Red Fiberglass, 1974.By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA set of six stackable dining room chairs by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller, manufactured in midcentury, 1974. The chairs are labe...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
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.