Segmented Base Conference Table by Charles Eames for Vitra
View Similar Items
Segmented Base Conference Table by Charles Eames for Vitra
About the Item
- Creator:Vitra (Manufacturer),Charles Eames (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.55 in (72.5 cm)Width: 132.68 in (337 cm)Depth: 53.94 in (137 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2007
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Dronten, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU931437217132
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.
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.
- Segmented Base Conference Table by Charles Eames for VitraBy Vitra, Charles EamesLocated 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
- Scandinavian Rosewood Conference TableBy Poul Kjærholm, Jørgen Kastholm & Preben FabriciusLocated in Dronten, NLLarge Mid-Century Modern stainless steel table with a beautiful rosewood top. Good vintage condition with many superficial scratches on the top but no veneer damage. Could be refinis...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Jean Prouvé Compass Direction Desk Limited RAW Steel and Natural Oak by VitraBy Jean Prouvé, VitraLocated in Dronten, NLJean Prouvé Compass direction desk in natural oak and clear lacquered steel for Vitra. Originally designed in 1953, Prouvé's iconic desk is based the de...Category
Vintage 1930s French Industrial Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Limited Edition Charles & Ray Eames LTR TablesBy Charles and Ray Eames, VitraLocated in Dronten, NLCharles & Ray Eames LTR tables, made by Vitra. Beautiful and exclusive 2018 limited edition sapele wood veneer with black enameled steel base. New old stock, packed in the original b...Category
Mid-20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Dining Table Model 578 in Walnut by Florence KnollBy Nordiska Kompaniet, Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Dronten, NLFlorence Knoll model 578 dining or conference table. The table features a boat shaped top in walnut with an enameled square tubular steel base. The beautiful book matched walnut tabl...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Massimo Morozzi Modular ‘Tangram’ Dining Table by CassinaBy Cassina, Massimo MorozziLocated in Dronten, NLMassimo Morozzi for Cassina, ‘Tangram’ dining table, painted beech, Italy, 1983. This design by Massimo Morozzi is modular and therefore versatile, playful in use and color, but stil...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsBeech
- 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 for Herman Miller 6' Conference Dining TableBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in South Charleston, WV71.75 x 41.75 x 27 7/8". Table was designed by Charles and Ray Eames in the early 1960s for Herman Miller, This model produced 1980. Laminate combed oak top. Signed to underside. Fea...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Conference Dining TableBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo LeonRosewood top Aluminum Group Conference Table, missing a padded leg.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Walnut Conference Dining TableBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Denton, TXClassic Eames design for Herman Miller conference / dining table, walnut top with cast aluminum base make this iconic table usable ant home as well as the office. Dimensions: Heigh...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- 15ft Herman Miller Segmented Table & 10x Vitra ES105 Lobby Chair Charles EamesBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated 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
- MCM Eames for Herman Miller Segmented Taupe Base Table Rectangular TopBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Topeka, KSGorgeous Eames for Herman Miller segmented base table with taupe base and table edge, rectangular natural oak wood veneer top, and aluminum spi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsAluminum, Steel