If I had to list one designer whose work and aesthetic I
admire the most it would have to be Charles and Ray Eames. Ok, that’s two
designers, but boy were they a force to be reckoned with.
Even people who have no knowledge of designer furniture and
who have never heard of the husband and wife team will likely be able to
recognise at least one of their many signature pieces; such is their influence
over the design world.
As a teenager I used to pore over interior design magazines
and would find myself earmarking ‘Eiffel’ dining chairs over and over again.
Not surprisingly some 15 plus years later I now have those same DSR plastic and metal dining
chairs (in white of course).
Photo: Bigtime Design Studios
Photo: Steve Domoney Architecture
Photo: Optimise Design
I have always admired the Eames Lounge Chair. That familiar wood veneer base, the tufted black leather. Classically cool. I find it mind-blowing
that the manufacture of this chair is almost exactly the same as it was when it
was first put into production in 1956. I crave one of my own.
Photo: Herman Miller
Of course before the lounger chair came their LCW (or Lounge Chair Wood). The LCW was a moulded
plywood lounge chair made up of two pieces (a back and a seat), and rubber
mount shock absorbers for movement.
Photo: Eames Designs
The LCW caught the attention of manufacturer Herman Miller
and thus began their relationship with the Eameses. TIME magazine designated this "The Best
Design of the 20th Century".
Over
several decades the Eameses created many pieces of furniture including desks,
stools, chairs and storage units, as
well as toys, films, exhibitions and probably their greatest achievement: the Eames House
Photo: Eames Designs
The fact that many of their designs are still desired today is a testament to the longevity
and perfection of the original designs. Personally what I love is that whilst
the designs are still relatively unchanged, they fit in so easily into a modern
interior.
Photo: Stardust Modern Design
Photo: Herman Miller
Photo: Chris Nguyen
Photo: Design Manifest
Photo: Sarah Greenman © 2013 Houzz
Photo: colorTHEORY Boston
