Enduring, functional,
beautiful—that's why
it's a classic.
Meeting the Needs of Modern Living
Have any other designers been as adventurous as Charles and Ray Eames? Calling them "pioneers" seems like a major understatement. Their curiosity and enthusiasm, their interest in working with new materials, and their playfulness in imagining new shapes led them to designs—like the molded plastic chairs—that changed the look of American furniture.
It Started With a Contest
Several models of the molded plastic chairs, including the armchair, were designed as entries in a contest sponsored by New York's Museum of Modern Art. The catalogue to the "International Competition for Low-cost Furniture Design" put it this way:
We must have furniture that is adaptable to small apartments and houses, furniture that is well-designed yet moderate in price, that is comfortable but not bulky, and that can be easily moved, stored, and cared for; in other words, mass produced furniture that is planned and executed to meet the needs of modern living . . . .
The Dowel Base
The original dowel base probably dates to an earlier chair created by Charles Eames and architect Eero Saarinen and called the Organic Chair. This one too was created for a contest—the MoMA "Organic Design in Home Furnishing" competition in 1940. That chair had four dowel legs and a shell that was similar to the Molded Plastic Chair shell except that it was covered in fabric.
The Legacy of the Design
Describing their goals as furniture designers, Charles and Ray said this: "Getting the most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least."
In 1949, Pittsburgh department store magnate and modern architecture devotee Edward Kaufmann (Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Fallingwater house for him) wrote the introduction to the catalog of the Detroit Institute of Arts "Design for Modern Living" exhibition. Here's what he had to say about this chair:
Perhaps more than any other individual in his field, Charles Eames—with the development of the famous “Eames chair”—has fulfilled the desire of every modern designer to create objects that will serve their purpose better than ever before and at lower cost.
Famous after only one year. And three-quarters of a century later, the Eames molded plastic chairs are still admired and desired for their innovative design, practicality, versatility, and comfort.
"Getting the most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least." – Charles Eames
Beginning of Production
Following its introduction at the MoMA exhibit, the armchair was chosen as the first chair to go into production because mass producing it presented the most extensive tooling challenge.
Development took about three years, and our initial 1950 production run was 2,000. These chairs had shells made from fiberglass in polyester resin. We changed the composition to a more environmentally responsible material—100 percent recyclable polypropylene, dyed throughout so the colors are integral and remain vibrant even after many years.
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