Charles Eames was born in St. Louis in 1907 and even he himself wouldn’t have dared to think his legacy would be just as wide-reaching and awe-inspiring as it has proven to be.
Firmly establishing himself as one of the 20th century’s most iconic designers, at the heart of the Modernist movement in furniture design, Charles Eames was wonderfully talented, eccentric and dedicated to making his mark in design – an achievement he accomplished with some considerable aplomb.
Responsible for dozens of pieces of designer furniture during his illustrious career, Eames remains one of the main sources of inspiration for designers operating today and the pieces that he was responsible for creating really have stood the test of time and have seen the popularity not only remain but increase exponentially since he released them well over half a century ago. If you’re not familiar with Charles Eames’ exceptional body of work, we will give our view on the top three pieces of furniture he designed below. Let’s get started:
1: The Eames DSW Chair
The chair for which Eames is perhaps best known is his eponymous DSW Chair which he originally crafted way back in 1948 as an entry to a low-cost furniture design competition being held by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. The stunning design and the fact that it was the first industrially manufactured plastic chair of its type really set Eames’ DSW Chair apart from the crowd and it certainly found plenty of favour at the MoMA, where it remains on permanent display to this day.
2: Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman
The wonderfully stylish and devilishly dapper Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman was originally designed as a 50th birthday gift for Eames’ good friend, the movie director, Billy Wilder. Such was the level of love for his lounge chair, however, Eames simply had to release it to the public and it has gone on to become one of the most iconic pieces of furniture of the last century. It boasts the sort of effortless, Don Draper-esque cool that makes it the ideal addition to any modern, luxury home and its a statement piece that offers both unparalleled comfort and impeccable visual appeal.
3: Eames Office Chair
Though most of Eames’ pieces were for living spaces, he also had an excellent eye for ergonomic office furniture and was responsible for an exceptional range of office chairs such as the beautifully minimalistic and highly functional offering above. Charles Eames truly was a one in a million designer who shaped and influenced throughout his entire career and the office chairs that he was responsible for are still heavy utilised today.
You can find all of these Charles Eames pieces online at SwivelUK.
By Leo Parker
