Charles & Ray Eames
Considered the most influential designers of the 20th century, husband-and-wife duo, Charles & Ray Eames forever changed the way the public would view furniture.
Born in 1907 and 1912 respectively, Charles & Ray Eames were already on their way to illustrious personal careers before meeting at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. In 1941 they married, moved to Los Angeles, and established an office together where they first began experimenting with the three-dimensional moulding of plywood. Their intention was to create comfortable yet affordable chairs, but their plans were interrupted with the onset of World War II. With an urgent need for a new type of splint due to the amount of wounded soldiers, Charles and Ray used the plywood moulding technique they’d developed for furniture design to create the emergency splint. Not only supremely practical, it was also beautiful, and so began the studio of Charles & Ray Eames.
To this day their designs are known for their unique synergy: simple yet sophisticated, functional yet playful, minimal yet refreshingly modern. In 1957 their work was licensed to European design house, Vitra, and continues to be sold under the company.
Design Portfolio
Eames Lounge Chair with Ottoman
Considered one of the most iconic pieces of furniture of the 20th century, the Eames Lounge Chair with Ottoman is elegant, functional, comfortable, and designed to last for generations. The design is based on Charles & Ray Eames’ three-dimensional moulded plywood technique and was conceptualised as “a refuge from the strains of modern living”. Constructed in a range of luxurious woods and leather fabrics, this timeless chair has been crafted by the esteemed manufacturers, Vitra, since 1956.
Eames DAR Fibreglass Armchair
Continuously in production since 1950, the Eames DAR Fibreglass Armchair was the first industrially produced plastic chair. Featuring a robust ‘Eiffel Tower’ steel wire base, and a moulded fibreglass seat shell for greater comfort, the DAR armchair combines light, elegant forms with structural strength to produce a chair that, to this day, has universal appeal.
Eames DSW Fibreglass Sidechair
Now referred to as the “Chair of the Century”, the Eames DSW Fibreglass Sidechair combines an organically shaped seat shell with a four-legged wooden base strengthened by steel ‘Eiffel Tower’ shaped cross struts. Another chair from Charles & Ray Eames’ Fiberglass Chair Collection, this pairing of fibreglass shell with its characteristically irregular surface with a maple wood base gives warmth to a piece that is simultaneously casual yet classic in its appeal. Created in a wide range of colours and finishes of wood this is a truly timeless chair that can blend in or stand out in any space.