The Price of the Eames Lounge Chair &
Ottoman, Explained
Why is the Eames Lounge Chair so expensive?
It’s one of the most common questions asked about the iconic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, and for good reason: A designer furniture piece is an investment, and you want to know whether it’s worth the upfront cost.
As the company that has continuously produced Charles and Ray Eames’ famous chair since introducing it to the public in 1956, and the only authorized manufacturer of the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in the United States, Herman Miller has all the information to answer that question.
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Why Is The Eames Lounge Chair So Expensive? — The price of an authentic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is a measurement of its quality and design legacy, which cannot be matched by lower-cost alternatives.
Quality
Materials
A luxury product, the Eames Lounge Chair is made with premium materials, including sustainably sourced seven-ply wood veneer for the molded plywood shell, precision-die-cast metal components in the base, stainless steel glides, and fine fabric and leather upholstery materials. Where material options are limited with pre-owned Eames Lounge Chairs, a new ELO from Herman Miller can be customized with countless unique veneer and upholstery combinations to suit your interior design style.
Craftsmanship
Herman Miller’s Eames Lounge Chairs are still manufactured in the United States, in Michigan, just about 200 miles from where Charles and Ray Eames met at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. They are meticulously manufactured by hand by skilled professionals who rigorously assess the chair’s quality at numerous stages of production. Real human hands make every ELO. No effort is spared, and no corners are cut (except those in the design).
Longevity
Some say that you’d never see an Eames Lounge Chair thrown away, and there’s a reason for that: The Eames Lounge Chair is considered an heirloom product, crafted to last decades, even generations if properly cared for. The quality materials used on the chair's frame, shell, and upholstery already have decades-long lifespans, but each of its parts was also designed to be independently serviceable and/or replaceable as needed, so wear and tear do not spell the end for an Eames Lounge Chair. Years and years of enduring comfort justify the upfront cost.
Design Legacy
The Eames Lounge Chair represents years of dedicated experimentation by Charles and Ray Eames, whose fascination with molded plywood began in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. The two collaborated on a winning entry into the Museum of Modern Art’s Organic Design in Home Furnishings contest, a comfortable lounge chair with a soon-to-be-familiar molded plywood shell. In the 15 years between their MoMA contest win and the debut of their Eames Lounge Chair, the pair devoted themselves completely to the study of molded plywood and its applications to furniture production, among other things (they famously supported the US military’s war efforts with tens of thousands of molded plywood leg splints!). At one point in their experiments, Charles even had to climb a utility pole to siphon electricity to power their homemade plywood-molding device, which they kept in their small apartment’s spare bedroom.
Luxury
Before designing the ELO, the Eameses had focused on producing economical molded plywood furniture – after all, plywood was an affordable, available material, and one of the primary tenets of the mid-centry modern design movement was “making the most for the least.” But in fact, the Eames Lounge Chair was always intended to be a luxury product, one the Eameses were proud to have created. At its debut, ELO’s down-filled cushions were upholstered in sumptuous Scottish leather, its molded plywood shell covered in a rich Brazilian rosewood veneer. The chair’s material options have undergone several updates over the years, mainly for sustainability, but have retained their luxurious quality.
Icon Status
The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is widely recognized as one of the most significant furniture designs of the twentieth century, an icon that has appeared in homes, offices, museums, and films around the world. Owning this chair means participating in that legacy. ELO is more than a nice chair; it is a museum piece, a piece of modern design history that continues to shape interiors today.
Is The Eames Lounge Chair Worth the Price?
By any metric, the Eames Lounge Chair justifies its upfront price. It is a high-quality product handcrafted with care using premium materials, made to last a lifetime and then some. In case of wear, its parts are designed to be removable and replaceable. The Eames Lounge Chair maintains a nearly five-star rating with hundreds of reviews from satisfied customers who frequently cite the chair’s museum-quality beauty and craftsmanship.
The ELO is timeless in more ways than one, with a legacy that precedes it. Counterfeit and dupe Eames Lounge Chairs exist because of the enduring popularity and relevance of the iconic chair, and while they can mimic the look of an authentic ELO, they fail to replicate its quality, undermining Charles and Ray Eames intentions when they originally designed the chair. Plus, with cheaper alternatives, what money you save on upfront costs may be spent replacing the item once it wears out.
Ultimately, the price of the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman reflects its purpose. It was never intended to be a trend-driven purchase or a short-term solution. When viewed through that lens, the question shifts from Why is the Eames Lounge Chair so expensive? to What does lasting quality mean to you? For those who value enduring craftsmanship and authentic design history, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman represents not just an expense, but an investment in a lifetime of comfort and a legacy of thoughtful design.
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