Rare Organic Design Chest Of Drawers By Eames and Saarinen
View Similar Items
Rare Organic Design Chest Of Drawers By Eames and Saarinen
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 35.25 in (89.54 cm)Width: 36 in (91.44 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Sagaponack, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 81601stDibs: LU89031005964
Eero Saarinen
Through his work as an architect and designer, Eero Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen’s furniture and his best-known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport in New York (opened 1962), Dulles International Airport in Virginia (1962) and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (1965).
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames.
At Cranbrook, Saarinen also met Florence Schust Knoll, who, as director of her husband Hans Knoll's eponymous furniture company, would put Saarinen’s best designs into production. These include the Grasshopper chair, designed in 1946 and so named because its angled bentwood frame resembles the insect; the Tulip chair (1957), a flower-shaped fiberglass shell mounted on a cast-aluminum pedestal; and the lushly contoured Womb lounge chair and ottoman (1948). In his furniture as in his architecture, the keynotes of Eero Saarinen’s designs are simplicity, strength and grace.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen tables, chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Charles Eames
The legacy of Charles Eames looms large in design. In partnership with his wife, Ray, Charles was at the forefront of pioneering innovation in the use of molded plywood for furniture making. The Eameses’ cheerful and inviting work has endured among the most important advancements in the history of 20th-century design.
Together, visionary mid-century modern duo Charles and Ray Eames introduced a wide range of renowned furniture to the postwar market, including iconic designs such as the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, the wildly colorful birch plywood-and-plastic-laminate Eames storage unit, the Eames compact sofa and more. The designers were trailblazers in molded plywood furniture and brought lively organic form to metal and plastic.
Charles Eames studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis. He traveled to Mexico and Europe, and experienced firsthand the work of designer-architects Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In 1930, upon returning to Missouri, Eames opened an architecture practice with Charles M. Gray but later moved to Michigan in 1938. He received a fellowship at Cranbrook Academy of Art, which would become a breeding ground for the stars of mid-century design. Eames continued his architecture studies at Cranbrook and also taught in the design department.
In 1940, Eames met his future wife, artist and designer Beatrice Alexandra "Ray" Kaiser, who was studying at Cranbrook under Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. Charles teamed up with another Cranbrook instructor, Finnish-American designer Eero Saarinen, to explore the possibilities of plywood for use in furniture design.
With support from Ray, Charles and Eero created chairs and case pieces and submitted them to the “Organic Design in Home Furnishings” competition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City — among them was the groundbreaking organic Side chair made of molded plywood with maple legs. It was upholstered by Heywood-Wakefield. This exhibition is considered critical by many to the popularization of what is known as mid-century modernism. Eames and Saarinen won first place for their submissions to the competition.
Charles and Ray were married in 1941 and soon after moved to Los Angeles, California, and lived in an apartment building designed by architect Richard Neutra. Charles worked on set design at MGM, and at night, in a humble workshop they established in the guest bedroom, he and Ray experimented with molded plywood on a homemade device they called the “Kazaam!” machine. In 1942, the couple won a U.S. Navy contract to create molded plywood leg splints that would be used to support wartime medical efforts. Soon, the Evans Product Company was making the splints and the Eameses opened the famed Eames Office and studio.
The Eameses’ innovative use of wire framing, molded plywood and applied fabrics caught the attention of many notable figures in interior design and architecture, including George Nelson, director of design at Herman Miller, a now-legendary modern furniture manufacturer. The company enlisted the Eameses’ talents and was eventually home to the couple’s classic pieces such as the Eames DCW chair and the DCM chair.
Find an extensive array of vintage Charles Eames seating, tables and case pieces on 1stDibs.
- Chest of Drawers by Edward WormleyBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn elegantly austere and finely crafted chest of drawers in bleached walnut having a two-over-three configuration channelled recessed pulls and dowel-form legs crafted of anodized al...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsAluminum
- Chest of Drawers by George NelsonBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn elegantly simple rectilinear chest of drawers in bleached ash with gracefully curved steel pulls, which floats on squared low wooden legs.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsSteel
- Chest of Drawers by Hvidt and Mølgaard-NielsenBy Hvidt & MølgaardLocated in Sagaponack, NYA Scandinavian modern five-drawer cabinet by Danish designers Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen. Crafted by Soborg Mobler, the chest is made from solid Burmese teak with beveled ed...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsTeak
$11,500 / item - 1950s Bleached Mahogany Chest of Drawers by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn elegant and well proportioned eight (8) drawer bleached mahogany cabinet having distinctive laminated end pulls, on tapered dowel legs.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany
- Dining Set by Eero SaarinenBy Eero SaarinenLocated in Sagaponack, NYDining table and six (6) chairs all with pedestal "tulip" bases. Numerous additional tables and chairs available to create you perfect table.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
MaterialsIron
$14,500 / set - Tulip Armchair by Eero SaarinenBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Sagaponack, NYA Mid-Century Modern dining chair designed by Eero Saarinen. This chair features an upholstered seat on a white enameled cast iron pedestal base. Upholstery varies. Manufactured by K...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAcrylic, Upholstery
$1,600 / item
- Rare and Important Midcentury Bench/Cabinets- Eames and Saarinen -Organic DesignBy Charles Eames, Eero SaarinenLocated in BROOKLYN, NYVery Rare modular case pieces conceived by young Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen for the Organic Design Competition at the MoMA. Circa 1940. Produced by Red Lion Furniture Company. ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany
- Mid Century Rare Chest of 5 DrawersLocated in Pasadena, CAMid Century rare Chest of 5 Drawers. The top Drawer has`slits within the drawers the provide sections within. Each drawer offers great space an...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
- Rare Pastoe chest of drawers, 1970’sBy PastoeLocated in Delft, NLRare Pastoe chest of drawers, 1970’s Dimensions: 50cmD, 50.5cm W, 46cmH Condition: Good Material: Wood Manufacturer: PastoeCategory
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
- Italian Cane Organic Modern Pedestal Chest of DrawersBy Bielecky Brothers, Dal VeraLocated in Wiesbaden, DEAmazing midcentury bamboo, Rattan and wicker chest of drawers. This wonderful piece was designed in Italy during the 1980s. A fan...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBamboo, Rattan
- Chest of Drawers Rosewood Danish Design 4 drawers, 1960Located in Lejre, DKChest of drawers in rosewood of Danish design with 4 drawers and tapered legs from around the 1960s. Dimensions in cm: H:76 W:85.5 D:40Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsRosewood
- Mid-century design chest of drawersLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKMid-century design chest of drawers in very good original condition. Wooden frame lined with black glass, the front of the drawers is a mirror.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsGlass, Wood