Ray & Charles Eames (United States), mid century furniture

Ray and Charles Eames were a husband-and-wife team of designers who made a significant impact on the world of furniture and industrial design in the mid-20th century. They were both born in the early 1900s in the United States, and they met while studying at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.

After finishing their studies, Ray and Charles Eames started a design studio in Los Angeles, California, where they began to experiment with new materials and techniques for furniture design. Their approach was based on a desire to create furniture that was both functional and aesthetically more... pleasing, and they were particularly interested in using new materials like molded plywood and fiberglass to achieve this goal.

One of the Eameses' most famous designs was the "Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman," which was introduced in 1956. This chair became an icon of mid-century modern design and is still in production today. Another notable design was the "Eames Molded Plywood Chair," which was produced using a process that involved bending plywood in a way that had never been done before.

In addition to furniture design, Ray and Charles Eames also worked on a wide range of other design projects, including films, graphics, and exhibitions. They were particularly interested in exploring the potential of new technologies like film and photography to communicate ideas and information in innovative ways.

Throughout their career, Ray and Charles Eames received numerous awards and accolades for their work, including several prestigious design awards from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Their designs continue to be highly influential today and are often seen as a symbol of the mid-century modern aesthetic that remains popular in interior design and architecture. less...

Born in 1907, Charles Eames developed an interest in engineering and architecture, which he studied at Washington University.

In 1929, while traveling in Europe, he was influenced by the Modernist Movement through the works of Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Gropius. In 1938 Eames began studying at Cranbrook Academy of Art, sponsored by Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen.

There he met his future wife, Ray Kaiser. Ray assisted Eames and Saarinen’s son Eero on projects for ‘The Organic Design in Home Furnishings’ competition at New York Museum of Modern Art, held in 1940, where they won the two more... first prizes. Their exhibits utilized innovative manufacturing techniques including a method for moulding plywood.

Eames continued working on the plywood moulding technique, and developed the ‘Kazam! Machine’, a press for moulding plywood, which lead to a commission by the US Navy for limb splints.

Now married, the Eames’ continued their work on plywood furniture, including a moulded plywood chair, which won the accolade ‘chair of the century’ from architectural critic, Esther McCoy.

The Herman Miller company took on the production of this chair in the US and still produces Eames’ designs today.

Other key pieces include the ‘Lounge Chair and Ottoman’ from 1956 and ‘Tandem Sling Seating’, which is still used in airports. They continued their design work, and other major projects in architecture and film-making, into the 1970s. Charles Eames died in 1978 and Ray in 1988. less...