Image source: Vitra — Eames Storage Unit ESU Shelf
© Vitra and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
Eames Storage Unit ESU Shelf
Eames shelf of 1949 with coloured aluminium panels, from low sideboard to tall bookshelf
1795 × 1175 × 420 mm
1949
Official product information
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Description
Overview
The Eames Storage Unit ESU Shelf is a Charles and Ray Eames design from 1949 on Vitra's page and somewhat wider than the ESU Bookcase. It comes in four heights, from a low sideboard to a tall bookshelf, and its coloured panels are coordinated with the ESU Bookcase and match the EDU Desk.
Construction
- Black powder-coated metal parts and birch plywood shelves with maple face veneer, transparent lacquer
- Powder-coated aluminium panels in five colours: pale blue, fawn, Eames red, rusty orange, mauve grey
- Legs with individual levelling adjustment
Specifications
- ESU Shelf 3 HU: W 1795 x D 420 x H 1175 mm
- 1 HU: H 505 mm, 2 HU: H 820 mm, 4 HU: H 1480 mm; all 1795 mm wide and 420 mm deep
Story
Four heights
Vitra's page presents the ESU Shelf as the unit that comes in various heights, from a low sideboard to a tall, spacious bookshelf. The factsheet draws four versions, 1 HU to 4 HU, with heights of 505, 820, 1175 and 1480 mm on the same 1795 mm width and 420 mm depth.
Panels by height
The factsheet assigns the panel colours by height: the 1 HU shelf has three, the 2 HU adds pale blue, and the 3 HU and 4 HU shelves, like the ESU Bookcase, use all five.
More by Charles and Ray Eames
Occasional Table LTR
Eames low occasional table of 1950 with a steel-wire rod base and wood, HPL, linoleum or marble top.
Soft Pad Chair EA 223
Eames stool for the EA 222 lounge chair, with a sewn-on cushion and an aluminium base, 1969.
Plywood Group DCW
Eames' Dining Chair Wood: made entirely of moulded plywood, 1945/1946.
Eames Chaise
The 1968 Eames Chaise, an 18-inch-wide leather chaise on a die-cast aluminum frame.
Collection
Eames Storage Unit ESU
Vitra's Eames Storage Unit ESU family by Charles and Ray Eames, 1949: a system of freestanding shelves and desks, today the ESU Shelf and the ESU Bookcase.
