1. z l i f e s t y l e m a g a z i n e | 1 5 9
Charles
what
would
Ray
say?
&
The radical, revolutionary American architect
Charles Eames and his artist wife Ray Eames were two of the
most influential forces in 20th century furniture design and
architecture. Ciunt unt eosam iuntion con et porehene odipiet
vendipiciae. Aliquas estiasp ietumquae eaquoss equissimposa
nihillaut quam, omnim et evenis evendis aborent eatum lauta
conet mossim re si aut volent. Sus et quiatur aut lias.
By Camilla Julner
Icon

2. 1 6 0 | z l i f s t y l e m a g a z i n e
Icon
he Eames’ elegant and playful designs charmed the
world. Their style, charisma and way of communicating
made them superstars. Their chairs in particular are still
sought after at auction houses, and are, in fact, still in
production. New versions of the original models are produced un-
der the watchful eye of the Eames’ family. Licence holder Vitra,
which has owned the rights for more than fifty years, adhere to the
following motto: What would Charles and Ray say?
Designer superstars
The master and his muse met at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Mich-
igan,where Charles taught industrial design and Ray studied art.Their
roles were perhaps shaped the first time they met,as her influence over
Charles’work became very important. Ray worked with painter Hans
Hoffman and helped found the organization American Abstract Art-
ists. Ray and Charles got married in 1941, after which they moved to
California,where they lived and worked together for 40 years.
At Cranbrook, Charles was asked by Finnish architect and de-
signer Eliel Saarinen to head the industrial design department.This
is also where he met Eero Saarinen, Eliel’s son. They went on to
collaborate on a series of moulded plywood furniture pieces, as well
as a project in California called Case Study House – a low-energy
house in the post-war spirit.
In 1940, the Museum of Modern Art announced a competition
called “Organic Design in Home Furnishing”. Eames and Saarinen
won first prize in the storage category, and their work was exhibited
at the museum the following year.Thanks to the invention of mould-
ed plywood it was now possible to create new shapes of seats,
and a process called “cycle welding” made
it possible to merge wood with rubber,
glass and metal. Eames experimented
with new furniture structures made
by steel pipes, and turned them into
chairs, tables and storage pieces. This
experimental work would go on for
another thirty years.
After moving to California, Eames
continued to experiment with moulded plywood.
In 1942,he and Saarinen were tasked with using
the new material to create equipment for the
US Marines.Moulded splints for broken legs
were used to transport hundreds of thou-
Heni nem exeribus
rerum aut laciis
porest aut aut
rehendae cum venima
doluptam incit fugitia
esci reperchilita
Heni nem
exeribus
rerum aut
T

3. z l i f e s t y l e m a g a z i n e | 1 6 1
Icon
sands of injured soldiers, and would be followed by many other
examples of furniture design in mass production settings.
Shortly after the end of the war,Eames continued his work on
the new moulding technique, creating designs for chairs, tables,
children’s furniture and partition walls – some of them entirely in
plywood,others in plywood and steel.He spent a lot of time work-
ing on solving individual problems. For example, he introduced
“shock mounts”, which were hinges that connect the different
parts of furniture pieces.These hinges improved the durability of
the thin plywood boards and made the furniture more comforta-
ble. The three-dimensional technique used today is more or less
the one that Eames developed more than fifty years ago.
Mellanrubrik
The plywood elephant was exhibited at MoMA in 1945.
The elephant – representing playfulness – has never been
mass-produced, but a limited edition was made in 2007 for
the 100th anniversary of Charles Eames’birth. It’s both a fun
toy and a fine sculpture.
“Toys are not really as
innocent as they look.
Toysandgamesareprelu-
destoseriousideas.”
Charles Eames
Herman Miller and the Museum of Modern Art
In 1946, Charles Eames was asked to present his own, sepa-
rate exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The most successful furniture pieces at the exhibition were a
series of chairs, which would go on to become a commercial
success and change modern furniture design. They were pub-
lished in designer magazines around the globe,not least in the
Italian magazine Domus, which in turn influenced Italian de-
signers.The furniture company Herman Miller manufactured
many of the pieces, and became a patron of Eames’designs.
an architectonic icon
Charles Eames built and designed his most famous house to-
gether with Eero Saarinen.Following the post-WWII housing
crisis, people wanted affordable and accessible housing.
Heni nem exeribus rerum aut laciis porest aut aut rehendae cum venima
doluptam incit fugitia esci reperchilita sumquat ibusandi cusapissunti id qui
dolupidic tendi ut mintis est expeliquid quiata sam restis
Heni nem exeribus rerum aut laciis porest aut aut rehendae cum venima
doluptam incit fugitia esci reperchilita sumquat ibusandi cusapissunti id qui
dolupidic tendi ut mintis est expeliquid quiata sam restis ullicimporit fugit aut
Heni nem
exeribus rerum
aut laciis
porest aut aut
rehendae cum
venima

4. z l i f e s t y l e m a g a z i n e | 1 6 3
he “Case Study House Programme”was resource-ef-
ficient and progressive, and was founded by the Arts
and Architecture Magazine. House #8 was one of
the approximately two dozen houses built during
of the project, which started in the mid-40’s and ended in the
early 60’s.The house was constructed with inexpensive materials,
made possible by technology from WWII. Their Eames’ own
home served as a model, and the Eames family lived in the
iconic house from 1949 to Charles’death in 1978.The simple,
pre-fabricated exterior is geometric and minimalist – in har-
mony with the surrounding environment. The interior’s open
planning was arranged by Ray,and features decorative bohemi-
an items and plants, organized in a playful way that enhances
the cosy atmosphere.There’s a “living space” and a studio.The
Eames couple passionately practiced what they preached.They
tried out their designs themselves and improved upon them
when needed. With the house they wanted to state an idea,
rather than creating a concrete, architectonic design. Their
grandchild Eames Demetrios, head of The Eames Office and
The Eames Foundation,described the house in An Eames Prim-
er: “The journey of creating this house – and the finished prod-
uct – resonate with many of the themes of their other work: the
guest/host relationship, the honest use of materials, universaliz-
ing from the specific,and,above all,the learn-by-doing process.”
The house is preserved and can still be visited,if you schedule a
visit.Read more at:www.eamesfoundation.org/how-to-visit
Life-long success with Plastic Chair
This shell-shaped chair was manufactured at Herman Mill-
er’s, with a moulded polyester seat and a base in contrasting
materials.
icon
Heni nem
exeribus
rerum aut
laciis porest
aut aut
rehendae
cum venima
doluptam
incit
fugitia esci
reperchilita
Heni nem
exeribus
rerum aut
laciis porest
aut aut
rehendae
cum venima
Heni nem
exeribus rerum
aut laciis
porest aut aut
rehendae cum
venima
T Heni nem
exeribus rerum
aut laciis
porest aut
aut rehendae
cum venima
doluptam incit
fugitia esci
reperchilita
“Piduciur most,
ommolup tiorru-
met ute atat vole-
cerorrovitadolo-
rep ernaturenis
sinvelic tem non-
sentiasedit”

5. z l i f e s t y l e m a g a z i n e | 1 6 5
Icon
“Piduciur
most,ommolup
tiorrumetute
orrovitadolo
repsinvelictem
nonseiaisaut
fugiam,omnis
nullantquo
he chair was made in glass fibre from 1950 to 1993,
but when it re-entered production in 2004 the ma-
terial was changed to the more eco-friendly poly-
propylene.
“Getting the most of the best to the greatest number of peo-
ple for the least” was the goal of Eames’ furniture design. Plastic
Chair can be found all around the world; in homes,schools,offic-
es, restaurants, airports – more or less everywhere.
The chair has become an icon in the world of furniture de-
sign and is available in a number of difference models, such as
the Plastic Side Chair for the dining room and the Plastic Arm-
chair for the living room. In addition, the chair comes in a num-
ber of different materials,including a wire base,a steel tube base,
a wooden base,an aluminium base,and a height-adjustable base.
The heritage lives on
Eames would constantly re-develop his furniture pieces and
products through continuous tests and usage. With that in
mind, it makes sense that the designs of Charles and Ray would
be further developed even after their deaths. However, there’s a
certain question that’s always asked: What would Charles and
Ray say? Vitra received the licence for Eames’ products in Eu-
rope and the Middle East in the late 1950s,and was granted full
rights for the production of all Eames’ products in the afore-
mentioned markets in 1984. La Chaise is made exclusively by
Vitra. (Herman Miller owns the other rights/markets).
Other famous, iconic furniture include Lounge Chair and
Ottoman – a comfortable set of an armchair and a footstool – as
well as La Chaise, Eames Storage Unit and the Hang-It-All
coat rack. At many airports around the world you’ll find rows of
polished aluminium chairs designed by Eames.
The new Wire Chair
Wire Chair was created the same year as Plastic Chair (1951)
thanks to Charles’and Ray’s interest in exploring industrial ma-
terials and innovative production methods. Lightweight and
robust structures were at the core of their philosophy. As with
the Plastic Chair, Wire Chair is a thoroughly designed piece of
furniture with an organic shape. The seat in chromed steel wire
is surprisingly comfortable. At this year’s Milan Furniture Fair,
Vitra launched a new Wire Chair in dark powder coating, high-
lighting the transparency of the entire construction.The chair is
also available with cushions and/or wooden legs. And to answer
the question: Yes, I think they would have liked it a lot.
T