Charles Eames was once quoted as saying that chairs should be designed not for how people should sit, but for how people do sit. It sounds simple: at the time, it was radical.
After marrying in 1941 and forming the Eames Office not long after, Charles and wife Ray – his partner in life and work – started to develop high-quality products from readily available and often industrial products, such as plywood and aluminium. Designing and iterating repeatedly until they achieved the perfect result, their partnership produced some of the 20th century’s most iconic furniture.
Nowhere was this better seen than in their Lounger and Sofa, which combined an angled profile and clean planes with rich materials – a wooden frame in walnut or teak with a die-cast aluminium base and cushions in black or white leather. Five-centimetre-thick foam cushions sit on fabric-reinforced rubber webbing, striking the perfect balance between comfort and support. The collection also included a crenellated plywood screen - further showing the Eames’ mastery of otherwise prosaic materials.
Equally suited to the home or office, it’s a modern classic which refuses to date.
EAMES SOFA
Matisse
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