Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman by Charles & Ray Eames Request a Free Swatch
The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman are considered among the most significant and collectible furniture designs of the 20th century. The rich veneer and supple leather suggest old-fashioned luxury translated into modern forms, setting an enduring standard for comfort and elegance.
The chair has been on display for decades at museums like the Art Institute of Chicago, and New York's Museum of Modern Art, and the reams of scholarly, critical, and fan writing and correspondence is enormous. It's truly one of the most famous and well-respected chairs ever built, and now it can be yours through Smart Furniture and Herman Miller (Herman Miller secured the rights to sell Eames furniture, and there isn't a more fine or trustworthy furniture company out there).
The Eames Lounge Chair can be purchased with or without the matching Eames Ottoman. The Ottoman can be purchased individually here.
The Original Look. Classic Aesthetic. The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman are now available in Santos Palisander, a lustrous veneer that has the same characteristics as the original color and grain. The look of the chair, according to designer Charles Eames, was meant to resemble the warmth, familiarity, and comfort of a well used baseball mitt. The warms colors and mixture of leather and curved surfaces achieves that goal with startling precision. The aesthetic of the chair therefore reflects several ideas, feelings, and traditions; Americana, comfort, childhood, nature, modernity, commonality. All these combine to create a chair that meets physical, spiritual, and mental needs. Eames always said he wanted his chair to be a refuge from the strains and pressures of the modern world. He succeeded in every way with the Eames Lounge Chair- which has become an icon of modern design.
Environmentally Sound. The wood is harvested exclusively from sustainably managed forests. Additionally, much of the chair was constructed using recycled materials, and about a third of the product is itself recyclable. However, it's unlikely you'll ever recycle the chair; it's a ready-made heirloom, designed to be passed on and on and on for as long as possible, just like that well worn baseball mitt.
Classic Comfort. Luxurious Feel. The chair has 6-inch-thick urethane foam cushions and rich leather upholstery. The effect is luxury without pretension or ostentation, and deep comfort and relaxation without resorting to the overstuffed or bulky. The chair is classically built to serve a strong purpose well, and to go no further than elegance allows when it comes to bells and whistles.
A Place to Relax. The contours of the seat and high back welcome the sitter, and a swivel mechanism is built in. This is a chair that fits practically anywhere in your home, from the living room to the office. It's sturdy and comfortable, made for all ages, and serves as a mini-retreat from a harried life. The inspiration for the chair came from director Billy Wilder, who used to rig up lounges for brief naps while he was filming. A refuge from the storm was what he needed, and the Eames provided with the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. Read more about the Eames Lounge Chair's design story.
Quality and Craftsmanship. Attention to Detail. All pieces are hand assembled. Shells are seven-ply cherry, natural cherry, walnut, or santos palisander veneer; the base and back braces are die-cast aluminum. The designers at Herman Miller are the best in the world, unparalleled in experience and quality, and the Eames Lounge Chair, exactingly built just as it was half a century ago, is just one more feather in their cap.
Practical Features. Cushions are individually upholstered and replaceable; back cushions are interchangeable; shock mounts are resilient natural rubber.
The Eames Lounge Chair is molded by three curved plywood shells. The shells are made with several thin layers of wood veneer adhered together and shaped under heat and pressure. The plywood and cushions are the shaped the same (i.e., composed of two curved forms interlocking to form a solid mass). The head rest and back of the Eames Lounger are proportional.
Charles and Ray Eames were pioneers, constantly looking for new materials for their innovative designs. The couple's first plywood chair - the Eames Lounge Chair Wood (LCW)-used a heavy rubber washer glued to the backrest of the chair and screwed to the lumbar support. These 'shock mounts' allow the backrest to flex slightly. This innovation is used in the design of the Eames Lounger. The backrest and headrest are screwed together by a pair of aluminum supports. The Eames Lounger is suspended on the seat via two connection points in the armrests. The armrests are screwed to shock mounts on the interior of the backrest shell, allowing the backrest and headrest to flex when the chair is in use. This is part of the Eames' Chairs unusual design. The rubber washers are solidly glued to the plywood shells.
Charles Eames' innovation in material selection is also apparent in the seat cushions. Instead of stapled or nailed upholstery, cushions are sewn with a zipper around the outer edge that connects them to a stiff backing. The back is adhered to the shells with hidden clips and rings. This design allows the visible veneer to be unmarred by screws or bolts. The Eames Lounge Chair has a low profile and set to recline. The Eames Lounger swivels on a cast aluminum base and has glides that are threaded so that the chair may remain level.
There's good reason that Herman Miller has stayed true to the same chair that was thought up so long ago. To this day, it has a truly distinctive look. Read more about the Eames Lounge Chair's distinctive look.
Smart Furniture's Interview with Eames Demetrios Smart Furniture hosted the Gifted Eye of Charles Eames- a celebration of the works of Charles and Ray Eames presented by their grandson, Eames Demetrios. Karen of Smart Furniture sits down with Eames to talk about his current work and the legacy of his grandparents
The Eames Lounge Chair- Fit for a Museum Fit for many museums, in fact. Read how the design community, along with Herman Miller, has celebrated the chair's creation and impact on the world.
The Eames Masterpiece Commemoratd in Stamps The United States Post Office released a collection of commemorative stamps celebrating design- Charles and Ray Eames were included.
The Eames Lounge Chair's Influences Just what was it that influenced Charles and Ray Eames to create this prized design? Read about the eclectic collection of influences that led to the Eames Lounge Chair.
The Eames Lounge Chair's Changes Over Time While Herman Miller has stayed true to the original design, small adjustments have been made to the chair in terms of materials and available finishes.
The Eames lounge chair and ottoman is up to 29 percent recyclable at the end of its useful life and is comprised of 24 percent recycled materials. All die-cast aluminum components are are made from 100-percent recycled material and are 100 percent recyclable. Steel components contain approximately 25 percent recycled content and are 100 percent recyclable. Most metal components have a powder-coat paint finish that emits negligible volatile organic compounds (VOCs).Foam materials are part of an open-loop system and can be recycled into everything from automotive components to carpet padding at the end of their current life. The Eames lounge chair and ottoman's packaging materials include corrugated cardboard and a polyethylene plastic bag. These materials are part of a closed-loop recycling system, meaning they can be recycled repeatedly.
Charles and Ray Eames Designers, artists, thinkers, and filmmakers- the Eameses were married for 37 years, and operated the Office of Ray and Charles Eames together for 35 of those years. They were partners in every sense of the word, sharing a home, an office, and collaborating on every piece of furniture and film they made together. For many years it was thought that Charles had been the driving force behind most of their design work, but recent findings have proven what had always been obvious about the two; they were inseparable, and the ideas they had and the projects they worked on were mutual and cooperative.
Charles and Ray collaborated on some of the most stunning and beautiful film and design projects of the last century. They are responsible for the Powers of Ten film, Tocatta for Toy Trains (film), The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, the Eames Aluminum Group furniture, the molded plywood chair, the TimeLife chair and stool, and various award winning museum exhibitions, including Mathematica. The Eames left not a stone unturned in their lifelong quest to bring the "uncommon beauty of common thing" into modern design, and practically no medium was ever eschewed when it came to getting their point across. Separately they would be ranked extremely high on any respectable list of great designers in the 20th century, but together they were unstoppable.
The Office of Charles and Ray Eames is still operating in California, with family member Lucia (daughter) and Eames Demetrios (grandson) running the family business. A great place for innovative and now historic film, toys, furniture and exhibits, the Office of Charles and Ray Eames is a California treasure.
Herman Miller is an industry leader in the integration of cutting edge technology to furniture and other household items to make everyday life more comfortable, convenient, and stylish. Herman Miller stands out at the forefront of such fields as ergonomic technologies, environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, and customizable furniture items.
In addition to producing some of the most outstanding office furniture in the world, Herman Miller has also taken on the responsibility of manufacturing some of the most celebrated furniture designs by some of the world's most famous designs. These "modern classics" include works by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Isamu Noguchi. Herman Miller celebrates these famous mid-century designers' works through its extraordinarily precise manufacturing techniques and industry-leading green production processes.
Herman Miller is a global company with operations, sales offices, dealers, and licensees in more than 40 countries in North America, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, serving customers virtually anywhere in the world. Herman Miller is headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan, while manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S., China, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Charles and Ray Eames
