Charles & Ray Eames

CHARLES EAMES (U.S., 1907 - 1978) & RAY EAMES (U.S., 1912 - 1988). For Herman Miller.
Lounge Chair 670.
River jacaranda veneer and black upholstery.
American edition, 1970s.
Leather has patina, zipper is a bit open, wood has some touches.
With Hermann Miller sticker on the bottom.
Measurements: 79 x 83,5 x 88 cm; 40 cm (seat height).

Internationally recognized as the authentic mid-century classic lounge chair, the Lounge chair 670 was inspired by traditional English club chairs. Designed in 1956, it was originally made with 5-ply plywood and finished in genuine Brazilian rosewood or river jacaranda veneer. The Herman Miller edition shown here, dating from the 1970s, respects the original materials. Charles and Ray Eames created The Lounge Chair in the 1950s with the vision of bringing together aesthetic elegance and unparalleled comfort.

An artistic married couple, Charles and Ray Eames worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art and film, and are responsible for numerous designs that have become classics of the 20th century. Charles Eames studied architecture for two years at the University of Washington, and then began his career working in a studio on residential housing projects. In 1938 he moved to Cranbrook, Michigan, to continue studying architecture and design at the city's Academy of Art. There he would end up teaching, heading the industrial design department. Together with Eero Saarinen, son of his teacher Eliel Saarinen, he designed the trophy for the Organic Design Award, given by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1941, after divorcing his first wife, he married fellow Cranbrook artist Ray Kaiser. Together they settled in Los Angeles, where they would remain for the rest of their lives. In the late 1940s, Ray and Charles designed their home together, known as the "Eames House," now considered a masterpiece of modern architecture. In the 1950s the couple continued to work in architecture and furniture design, pioneering the use of new techniques and materials such as fiberglass and plastic resin in the manufacture of chairs. They are currently represented in the Design Museum in London and the MoMA in New York, among many others.