Cognac Premium Vitra EA217 Soft Pad Office Chair by Charles Eames, 2000s
View Similar Items
Cognac Premium Vitra EA217 Soft Pad Office Chair by Charles Eames, 2000s
About the Item
- Creator:Vitra (Manufacturer),Charles and Ray Eames (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 32.29 in (82 cm)Width: 22.05 in (56 cm)Depth: 22.84 in (58 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2003
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Aachen, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6944236308222
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.
Vitra
Design house Vitra has garnered international recognition for more than 70 years — the Swiss family-owned furniture company has outfitted public spaces as well as residential properties and offices worldwide. It has been a proponent of modernist design since the 1950s. While the brand is heralded for its collaborations with mid-century modern icons such as Verner Panton, Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard and others, Vitra’s German campus is also home to buildings designed by legendary architects Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry. Among them is the Vitra Design Museum, an independent cultural institution that displays two centuries of design today.
Vitra was established in Weil Am Rhein, Germany, in 1950 by husband and wife team Willi and Erika Fehlbaum. On a trip to New York several years later, Willi Fehlbaum encountered the work of design polymaths Ray and Charles Eames in a furniture store and immediately knew that he had found his bliss.
In 1957, Vitra entered into a licensing agreement with Herman Miller, which saw the company producing designs by George Nelson, the Eameses and others. Later, Vitra partnered with Verner Panton and created the Panton chair, which was the first chair ever crafted from a single piece of molded plastic (it was also the first piece to be independently developed by Vitra). After 27 years of establishing the Vitra brand, the Fehlbaums passed control to their two sons, Rolf and Raymond Fehlbaum.
When a fire destroyed the factory in 1981, the brothers developed the Vitra Factory Campus, subsequently taking the opportunity to redirect the architectural landscape of the company. They created a masterplan with Nicholas Grimshaw, and together they erected four buildings in just a few short years.
In 1988, with the passing of Ray Eames and the disbandment of the Los Angeles Eames office, Rolf and Raymond acquired the furniture design portion of her estate, including the Eames prototypes and experimental models, housed today in the Vitra Design Museum.
Rolf and Roy opened the Vitra Design Museum in 1989. This began a period rich with design relationships, including collaborations with Antonio Citterio, Jasper Morrison, Maarten van Severen, Philippe Starck, Alberto Meda and others.
In 2012, leadership passed to Nora, the third generation of the Fehlbaums. Nora Fehlbaum has, like her grandparents, expanded the company and brought it into the 21st century with the acquisition of Finnish furniture manufacturer Artek. Nora has turned the company’s focus to sustainability yet still maintains its international and cultural relevance legacy.
Find a collection of Vitra lounge chairs, tables, side chairs, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- 15ft Herman Miller Segmented Table & 10x Vitra ES105 Lobby Chair Charles EamesBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Aachen, NWThis lot is a 1 of a kind opportunity! Fine and very rare 15ft segmented table by Charles Eames for Herman Miller with 10x superb Midbrown office lobby chairs model ES105 produced b...Category
Vintage 1970s American Conference Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Herman Miller EA435 Soft Pad Office Chair by Charles EamesBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Aachen, NWVery nice soft pad office chair model EA435 produced by Herman Miller. The chair features a polished aluminium frame and was made in 1993. The chair is height adjustable and has a ...Category
1990s American Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Herman Miller EA335 Soft Pad Office Chair by Charles EamesBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Aachen, NWVery nice soft pad office chair model EA335 produced by Herman Miller. The chair features a polished aluminium frame and was made in the early 2000s. The chair is height adjustable...Category
Early 2000s American Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Set of 10 Vitra Herman Miller ES105 Lobby Chair by Charles Eames 1970sBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Aachen, NWRare set of 10 Time life Lobby Chair model ES105 produced by Vitra/Herman Miller. The chairs features a chromed aluminium frame on a chromed aluminium base. Rare and wonderful colou...Category
Vintage 1970s American Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Vintage Cognac Eames Lounge Chair by Herman Miller 1970sBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Aachen, NWThis rare lounge chair was designed by Charles & Ray Eames and were produced by Herman Miller in the early 1970s. It is one of the earlier lounge chairs which were produced in Europe...Category
Vintage 1970s German Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Warren Platner Wire Lounge Chair for Knoll Ultra Suede, 2000sBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Aachen, NWImpressive Beige Ivory Ultra Suede Lounge chair by Warren Platner for Knoll. The groundbreaking lounge chair was designed in the 1960s by Warren Platner and produced by Knoll in th...Category
Mid-20th Century American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Segmented Base Conference Table by Charles Eames for VitraBy Charles Eames, VitraLocated in Dronten, NLLarge Charles & Ray Eames Segmented Base conference table made by Vitra in 2001. Beautiful beech book matched veneer one piece tabletop, marked with production date label. The base m...Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsAluminum, Chrome
- Vintage Mid Century Modern Herman Miller No1 Eames Conference TableBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in GBWe are delighted to offer this super rare and highly collectable, original, Mid Century Modern, Herman Miller No1 Edition conference table, which were purchased by the original owner...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Charles and Ray Eames CTW Coffee Table in Plywood Herman Miller 2000sBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Ft Lauderdale, FLCharles and Ray Eames CTW Coffee Table in Plywood Herman Miller 2000s. Molded birch plywood classic mid-century design. Early 2000's production.Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Coc...
MaterialsPlywood
- Charles and Ray Eames Round Conference Table by Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Van Nuys, CALarge 8' foot Charles and Ray Eames designed round conference table by Herman Miller. The table features a large two-piece round laminate...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Vitra/Herman Miller Conference table Charles Eames Segmented Table round 400 cmBy Charles EamesLocated in Köln, NRWConference table set consisting of four parts, veneered in very rare precious wood Thuja. Frame aluminium chromed, top wood veneered in rare thuja wood, to...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century German Conference Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Charles & Ray Eames Dining Table or Conference Table 1980sBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in HEVERLEE, BELarge vintage dining table, conference table by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Nice and sturdy wooden top with a chrome aluminum base. The table is in good original condi...Category
Vintage 1980s American Dining Room Tables
MaterialsAluminum
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.