Historia de la colección
Origen
La relación de Eames con Herman Miller comenzó con la madera contrachapada moldeada. A comienzos de los años cuarenta, Charles y Ray Eames recibieron el encargo de la Marina de los Estados Unidos para desarrollar férulas ligeras de contrachapado moldeado para piernas. En 1946, Herman Miller presentó la Silla de Contrachapado Moldeado Eames, la Silla Lounge de Contrachapado Moldeado, el Biombo Plegable y la Mesa Auxiliar Eames, el mismo año en que el Museo de Arte Moderno de Nueva York presentó la exposición «New Furniture Designed by Charles Eames»; en 1947, Herman Miller obtuvo los derechos exclusivos de comercialización y distribución de los productos de contrachapado moldeado.
Lenguaje de diseño
Líneas depuradas y modernas, lúdicas y funcionales: Herman Miller lo denomina el «look Eames». Cada proyecto partía de las mismas preguntas: ¿nos intriga?, ¿podemos mejorarlo?, ¿será «diversión seria»? Un material daba paso al siguiente: el contrachapado moldeado llevó a los asientos de fibra de vidrio moldeada (1950) y, más tarde, al aluminio fundido y al cuero. «Los detalles no son detalles», decía Charles. «Son los que hacen el producto».
Piezas clave
- Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (presentada en 1956)
- Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair LCW y Dining Chair DCW (1946)
- Sillas Eames de plástico moldeado y fibra de vidrio, Eames Storage Units y Wire Base Low Table (1950)
- Eames Sofa Compact (1954), Eames Executive Chairs (1960) y Eames Chaise (1968)
- Eames Task Chairs (silla de carcasa sobre base de cinco estrellas), Eames Coffee Table (1949, en producción desde 2017), Eames Molded Plywood Coffee Table (1946) y Eames Tables (1957-1964)
- Eames Hang-It-All (1953), Eames Aluminum Group, Eames Turned Stools y Eames Soft Pad Group
Piezas de esta colección
Eames Molded Plastic Chair
Eames shell-chair family from 1950, now in recycled plastic; the wire-base side chair is measured.
Eames Sofa Compact
The Eames Sofa Compact, a six-foot, three-seat sofa in production since 1954.
Eames Executive Chairs
The 1960 Eames Executive Chair for the Time & Life Building, in leather on an aluminum base.
Eames Molded Wood Chairs
Three-dimensional veneer completes the Eameses' one-piece molded wood shell.
Eames Chaise
The 1968 Eames Chaise, an 18-inch-wide leather chaise on a die-cast aluminum frame.
Eames Coffee Table
Charles and Ray Eames's 1949 coffee table, reissued with a dowel base and wire struts.
Eames Molded Fiberglass Chairs
The 1950 Eames fiberglass shell chair, reintroduced in 2014 in a reformulated fiberglass.
Eames Soft Pad Chairs
The 1969 Eames Soft Pad Group: Aluminum Group chairs with plush individually upholstered cushions.
Eames Aluminum Group Chairs
The Eames suspension chair family in production since 1958, from side chair to executive chair.
Eames Molded Plastic Dining Chair
The EC-127 dining form returns in 2025 using post-industrial recycled plastic.
Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair LCW
The 1946 Eames lounge chair on molded plywood legs, with rubber shock mounts and a low seat.
Eames Shell Task Chairs
Charles and Ray Eames's molded shell chair on a five-star swivel base, as a side chair or armchair.
Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (Herman Miller)
The 1956 Eames club-chair reinterpretation with 7-ply veneer shells and replaceable cushions.
Eames Shell Chairs
The Eames single-shell chair family, from the 1950 fiberglass chair to recycled-plastic shells.
Eames Molded Plywood Coffee Table
Charles and Ray Eames's 1946 round coffee table of molded plywood, on a wood or metal base.
Eames Sofa
The last piece of furniture produced by the Eames Office, in production since 1984.
Eames Tables
The Eames system of table bases and tops, from occasional to conference and standing height.
Eames Wire Chairs
The Eames welded-wire shell chair, produced from 1951 to 1967 and reintroduced in 2001.