Eames pkw-2 Bikini Swivel Dowel Base Chair for Herman Miller
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Eames pkw-2 Bikini Swivel Dowel Base Chair for Herman Miller
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 19 in (48.26 cm)Depth: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Salt Lake City, UT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU171426637213
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.
- Pkw-2 Pivoting K-Wire Wood Base Side Chair, Eames Herman Miller, Bikini, SengBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DEeames‘ chairs are so common and widespread today that you’ve actually seen them far too often. but there are some versions that are a bit more special – making them collector’s items. for example, these ray & charles eames side chairs ‚pkw-2‘, meaning a pivoting, k-wire chair on a wooden base. version 1 would be a fully covered seat, version 2 is the cut-out „bikini“ cover, where you can see the wire mesh construction. this is also known as a ‚bikini swivel wire chair‘. here we have a black and a white one. we understood they were imported from the united states as a pair to Europe – but then sold on to different customers. years ago we bought the white one as the first piece in our eames-1st-generations-collection. by chance or serendipity, we were now able to find and buy the black one also and thus reunite the pair. together they make impressive and scarce art objects to grace any collection of early midcentury design. interestingly the dowel-leg-version was discontinued after 1954: the open ball-bearing connection and the elegant thin wooden legs weren’t very practical. weight and power, when swivelling, sometimes resulted in cracks or breakage. (that’s why we wouldn’t recommend them to use as a kitchen chair, maybe.) they are functional, showing a wonderful patina and are great pieces to admire and to understand the thinking behind the design. set of 2 side chair, model pkw-2, swivel dowel-base 1 white powder coated wire-shell, cognac-coloured leather bikini...Category
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MaterialsMetal
- 4 DKX-2 Wire Bikini Shell Chairs X Bases Hot Pink Bikinis Eames Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Topeka, KSFabulous set of four DKX-2 wire bikini shell chairs on X bases with Hot Pink Naugahyde bikini covers designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. They are in wonderful vintage restored condition overall. The chairs have had some factory weld modifications and one chair has had repairs to welds. All have a fresh coat of black paint. The bikini covers have been cleaned. There may be a couple small nicks in the bikini covers. Please see photos. Circa 1960s. She wore an itsy bitsy teeny wennie not so yellow hot pink bikini………………..oh! Hello! I know. I get carried away. But how could you not with these absolutely over-the-top cool set of four wire shell chairs with hot pink, yes, I said hot pink, bikini covers? They are on solid X bases and we have ordered new boot feet for them. When the Eames designed the wire shell side chair for Herman Miller in the 1950s it was inspired by trays, dress forms, and baskets. Versatility was one of the Eames design edicts so this chair could be configured in multiple ways. It could be purchased on a variety of bases and without any covering, with a full cover, or with this the half cover which has been nick-named….the bikini. This set of four are circa 1960s. Charles Eames was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1907. Ray Kaiser Eames was born in Sacramento, California in 1912. They met at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan and were married in 1941. They moved together to California and continued their design work they began together at Cranbrook. A commission, which they acquired from the government during WWII to produce molded plywood splints and stretchers, launched a career producing iconic Mid-Century Modern furnishings which are still fresh and sought after today. The Eames and their association with Herman Miller were the partnership of the century. If you want to learn more about Charles and Ray please visit Eames Office, the Eames Official website. Herman Miller started life as Star furniture...Category
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MaterialsSteel
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Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
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$1,200 Sale Price33% 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
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$8,840 Sale Price / set35% Off
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