A Foundation for Modern Furniture Design
George Nelson invented the concept of the family room. And with their exceptional comfort and enduring style, these chairs are perfect for yours.
These Eames chairs are molded to fit the contours of the body, so sitting on this icon of modern design feels good. By molding thin sheets of lightweight veneer into gently curved shapes, Charles and Ray Eames managed to give a hard material a soft appearance and establish the foundation for the design of modern furniture.
Curve
"Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design."
Charles and Ray Eames
View Design Story
Curve
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Finish Choices
The chairs are available in five wood finishes—white ash, ebonized ash, cherry, walnut, and santos palisander. Or you can have them in a richly grained birch veneer stained red.
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Sturdy Legs
The sturdy metal legs—in trivalent chrome—have self-leveling nylon glides that work on both carpet and hard-surface floors.
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Solid Construction
The plywood has natural face veneers with hardwood inner plies and a five-ply seat and back. All of the veneers are obtained from sustainable sources. Natural rubber shock mounts absorb movement. The lounge chair is 26.5 inches high and has a more distinct slope than the dining chair.
Best Design of the
Century
In 1999, in its Millennium issue, Time magazine named the chairs Best Design of the (20th) Century. Runner-up: a steam locomotive.
How far could wood
be pushed?
Recognizing the Need
It All Started with These Chairs
The long and fruitful collaboration between Herman Miller and Charles and Ray Eames began in 1946 with these chairs. The molded plywood chairs were the couple's first attempt at creating a chair that didn't need upholstery to be comfortable and that could be mass produced easily.
How Far Could Wood Be Pushed?
Not long after Charles and Ray were married, in 1941, they began experimenting with just how far wood as a material could be pushed. Playing around with a variety of wood-molding techniques, they made a number of discoveries that led to a commission from the U.S. Navy to develop plywood splints, stretchers, and glider shells used in World War II.
Charles said that recognizing the need is the primary condition for design. With the war over and the post-war boom beginning, Charles and Ray recognized a need for furniture that was of high quality and affordable, and that could be used in a variety of ways in the rapidly changing average American home. And it occurred to them that the technology they had created for the Navy—molding wood using heat and pressure—could be adapted for furniture.
Recognizing the need is the primary
condition for design.
- Charles Eames
Things Changed
The introduction of the molded plywood chairs, with their lightweight, compound curves, and streamlined visual profile changed furniture design and manufacturing forever. Sculpting a seat and back that fit the contours of the human body, while using relatively inexpensive materials and mass production, the Eames team created a truly comfortable, not to mention revolutionary, chair that's as fresh in today's homes as when the soldiers came marching home from World War II.
Plywood Furniture? Really?
The American home changed dramatically after the war. The GI Bill allowed returning service members to get college degrees and better jobs, and most of those soldiers wanted a home of their own and a family. Among the many results of this movement were the baby boom and the extensive building of suburban homes, which needed to be furnished.
Plywood was not a popular furniture material at the time—it was a building material. But Charles and Ray liked it because they believed it could be mass-produced using dimensionally shaped surfaces instead of cushioned upholstery. They and their team experimented with plywood molding for years before perfecting the final process.
Archival photos courtesy of Eames Office LLC
Care & Maintenance
With regular care and maintenance, your Herman Miller product will provide many years of superior performance and satisfaction. To maintain quality, please follow the cleaning procedures outlined here.
The instructions for the care and maintenance of Herman Miller products are provided to you as a service. No warranty is implied since results may vary.
Divider
Chrome
For normal cleaning, wet cheesecloth in a nonabrasive cleaner, like liquid dish soap, and rub the chrome component lightly until the original luster reappears. Dry the component with a soft cloth to remove any soap residue.
Solid Wood and Veneer
For normal cleaning, dust furniture daily with a slightly damp, soft cloth. Wipe dry with a dry, soft cloth in the direction of the wood grain. Once a month, clean the surface with a soft cloth dampened with a quality cleaner formulated for wood furniture. Wipe the surface in the direction of the wood grain to remove dirt and fingerprints. Wipe dry with a clean, dry cloth. Twice a year, apply a good quality emulsion wax to the finish with a soft cloth. Emulsion wax is clear and prevents fingerprints.
For minor repair of water rings, stains, and scratches, rub the surface lightly in the direction of the wood grain using No. 000 steel wool. Apply a scratch-removing polish with a color and value that simulate the veneer. If the scratches are deep, consult a professional furniture refinisher.
