Plywood Group DCM

Overview

The DCM, Dining Chair Metal, is described by Vitra as the graceful result of Charles and Ray Eames' early work on pressing plywood into complex shapes. Vitra dates the design 1945/1946 and lists it among the chairs of the Plywood Group.

Construction

Moulded plywood carries the veneer and a lacquer coat on the seat and back, with ash or walnut as the choice of wood. The legs are tubular steel in chrome plating or powder coating, and shock mounts of bonded rubber and metal join them to the shells.

Specifications

The chair is 515 mm wide and 565 mm deep, 735 mm high overall, with the seat at 400 mm. Shell finishes: natural ash (64), black-pigmented walnut (45), black ash (68); frame: chrome (01) or basic dark, smooth powder coat (30).

Dining chair on a metal frame

Vitra's page for the DCM calls the chairs graceful and ties their origin to the Eameses' early experiments with moulding plywood. The date shown beside the credit is 1945/1946.

Where it sits in the group

The DCM pairs plywood shells with a metal frame at dining height. Its sister chair with the same frame but a lounge posture is the LCM, while the DCW has a plywood base. Among the four chairs of the group that have a drawing here, the DCM is the tallest at 735 mm, and its 400 mm seat is second only to the 405 mm of the DCW.