Today we begin a series of articles aimed at highlighting iconic pieces of XNUMXth century design that are highly valued in the interior design of modern offices:  emblematic designs of Le Courbusier, Eames, Rietvel, Makintosh, Breuer... Work environments, especially those in orders, are the perfect settings to introduce an original piece by any XNUMXth century design master. These pieces are not only symbols of a modernity imperishable, but they also enhance the image of the person who occupies the office, to whom values ​​of timeless Vanguard, style and great knowledge of contemporary design.

We start this cycle with a classic of luxury offices: the Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Charles and Ray Eames.

Lounge Chair and ottoman

Designed by the couple Charles and Ray Eames, the Lounge Chair with ottoman (or footrest) was published in 1956, after several years of research. The origin of it, it seems, is in a question that Charles asked his wife Ray: Why don't we do an updated version of the old English club chair? The result is this iconic design, which instantly became a comfort symbol and one of the most significant pieces of the XNUMXth century. The key lies in its exceptional craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail, which combines quality and comfort traditional with the exclusive technology that the Eames designed to mold and adhere the wood to the rubber supports of the shock absorbers and thus achieve their flexibility.

A simple and functional structure

What works well is better than what looks good, because what works well lasts. Ray Eames

The first graphic produced by the eames office illustrated this Retro American as a collection of its component parts. Charles and Ray were very proud to have created a luxury seating option with very few parts and that lived up to their commitment to offer products with a Long useful life. Thanks to the simple and clear ways in which the parts were connected, customers could easily repair or replace any part as needed.

The parts of plywood molded are constructed with layers of rosewood, assembled in a press with heat and pressure to give them shape. However, its plywood parts are surprisingly simple: the two back panels are identical, and the chair and footstool seat are also identical.

The cushions are removable and can be inverted in case they are compacted. The two back cushions can be individually inverted from top to bottom. The chair seat cushion and ottoman cushion can also be interchanged in the same way and even swapped for one another.

Comfort as the beginning and end

The chair, which has become a status symbol and design landmark, is also a haven for mind and body. Charles and Ray Eames were aware of this end result, and often spoke of their intention to provide a soft seat to cushion the stresses of modern life with this design. They themselves wrote the text of the hang tag that accompanied the first copies, and which clearly defines the objective of the design:

“The upholstered armchair and the ottoman are a combination designed to offer comfort for long periods of time, such as reading or talking after dinner or just relaxing and thinking. The size and relationship of the pieces are the most important, but the fact that all the pieces have a bit of movement with each other and that the two main units are mounted on ball joints gives the freedom that contributes to relaxation. Another thing we realized in our search for this type of comfort is that the feathers and down They are exceptional materials. They seem to settle down, and when you get up, the feathers and down don't snap back into place as if no one had ever sat down. The leather cushions they have built-in wrinkles, which hints at future comfort, like the warm feel of a used baseball glove.”

The reception of this innovative and comfortable seat was immediate, as it is a wide and deep armchair, with cushions covered in soft, wrinkled leather and stuffed not with the uniformly pneumatic foam then in vogue, but with feathers and down, “to give the feeling of settling in”, in the words of Eames. "The airy feel is magnified by the widely curved molded frames in luxurious rosewood veneer."

The value of an icon

La Eames Lounge Chair It is certainly not a cheap piece. However, it offers great value as a collector's item, due to its quality, durability and simplicity of design. It is a model that can be passed from generation to generation as a family heirloom, which is acquiring more value as the years pass. In addition, it is a museum piece, the protagonist of books and exhibited throughout the world for decades.

In recent years, design has been adjusting to the changing nature of the market, with slight modifications. In the XNUMXst century, people are bigger and taller than ever before, which is why publishers Herman Miller and Vitra now also offer a tall version of the Lounge Chair, which has exactly the same proportions as the original, but is longer and deeper.

Charles and Ray Eames

Charles Ormand Eames was born in San Luis, California, in 1907. He studied architecture at the University of Washington, although he never finished the program because of his too progressive ideologies. He worked at the architecture firm of Robert Walsh, until Eliel Saarinen, Renowned Finnish architect and father of Eero Saarinen, noticed his work and invited him to do a fellowship at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It was there that he met Bearnice Alexandra “Ray” Kaiser, an abstract painter born in Sacramento in 1912, also very interested in fashion design, theater and the arts.

After his marriage, in 1941, the Eameses moved to Los Angeles, where they experimented, at home, with molding plywood into complex furniture shapes. When World War II broke out, the Eameses, along with a small team, began making leg splints, stretchers for the wounded and parts of airplanes, using his plywood technique. From these beginnings, they founded and directed for four decades the Eames Office, a responsible design entity from which countless products and designs came to light. The Bureau's mission was to make high-quality products from readily available, often industrial, materials for the masses.

The Eames Office

Their wide, curious eyes also drew the Eameses into storytelling and educational activities. They gave passionate conferences, designed international exhibitions and created unique methods of communication with one of their most beloved tools: the camera. Although there is a tendency to assign individual credit to Charles, categorizing hits based on genre, the truth is that Charles and Ray's visions were intertwined and functioned as one. single entity.

After the passing of Charles in 1978, Ray continued the work of the Eames Office for a few years until he closed the office and focused on securing the legacy of his work for future generations to be inspired. Just 10 years later, Ray would also join Charles, and thanks to the family and the staff of the Eames Office, important projects such as the Eames House, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman and the movie Powers of Ten. As individuals and as a couple, Charles and Ray they continue to be cited as an inspiration to others, from musicians to astronomers to tech innovators. These life and work companions have been internationally recognized at the forefront of the design, architecture, film and furniture communities.

Information and images: Eames Office