Classic Modernist Charles and Ray Eames Arm Shell Lounge Chair, Zenith
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 27.5 in (69.85 cm)Width: 25 in (63.5 cm)Depth: 24 in (60.96 cm)Seat Height: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor blemish /stain to top of seat,(under gel coat) additional photos avail.
- Seller Location:Buffalo, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU106247902133
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Eames and Ray Eames were the embodiment of the inventiveness, energy and optimism at the heart of mid-century modern American design, and have been recognized as the most influential designers of the 20th century.
As furniture designers, filmmakers, artists, textile and graphic designers and even toy and puzzle makers, the Eameses were a visionary and effective force for the notion that design should be an agent of positive change. They are the happy, ever-curious, ever-adventurous faces of modernism.
Charles (1907–78) studied architecture and industrial design. Ray (née Beatrice Alexandra Kaiser, 1912–88) was an artist, who studied under the Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. They met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit (the legendary institution where Charles also met his frequent collaborator Eero Saarinen and the artist and designer Harry Bertoia) and married the next year.
His technical skills and her artistic flair were wonderfully complementary. They moved to Los Angeles in 1941, where Charles worked on set design for MGM. In the evenings at their apartment, they experimented with molded plywood using a handmade heat-and-pressurization device they called the “Kazam!” machine. The next year, they won a contract from the U.S. Navy for lightweight plywood leg splints for wounded servicemen — they are coveted collectibles today; more so those that Ray used to make sculptures.
The Navy contract allowed Charles to open a professional studio, and the attention-grabbing plywood furniture the firm produced prompted George Nelson, the director of design of the furniture-maker Herman Miller Inc., to enlist Charles and (by association, if not by contract) Ray in 1946. Some of the first Eames items to emerge from Herman Miller are now classics: the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, and the DCM, or Dining Chair Metal, supported by tubular steel.
The Eameses eagerly embraced new technology and materials, and one of their peculiar talents was to imbue their supremely modern design with references to folk traditions. Their Wire chair group of the 1950s, for example, was inspired by basket weaving techniques. The populist notion of “good design for all” drove their molded fiberglass chair series that same decade, and also produced the organic-form, ever-delightful La Chaise. In 1956 the Eames lounge chair and ottoman appeared — the supremely comfortable plywood-base-and-leather-upholstery creation that will likely live in homes as long as there are people with good taste and sense.
Charles Eames once said, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” For very good collectors and thoughtful interior designers, a piece of design by the Eameses, the closer produced to original conception the better, is almost de rigueur — for its beauty and comfort, and not least as a tribute to the creative legacy and enduring influence of Charles and Ray Eames.
The collection of original Eames furniture on 1stDibs includes chairs, tables, case pieces and other items.
Herman Miller
No other business of its kind did more than the Herman Miller Furniture Company to introduce modern design into American homes. Working with legendary designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Alexander Girard, the Zeeland, Michigan-based firm fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style. In doing so, Herman Miller produced some of the most beautiful, iconic and, one can even say, noblest chairs, sofas, tables and other furniture ever.
Founded in 1923, Herman Miller was originally known for grand historicist bedroom suites: heavily ornamented wood furniture that appealed to a high-minded, wealthier clientele. The company — named for its chief financial backer — began to suffer in the early 1930s as the Great Depression hit, and D.J. De Pree, the company’s CEO, feared bankruptcy. In 1932, aid came in the form of Gilbert Rohde, a self-taught furniture designer who had traveled widely in Europe, absorbing details of the Art Deco movement and other modernist influences. After persuading De Pree that the growing middle class required smaller, lighter household furnishings, Rohde set a new course for Herman Miller, creating sleek chairs, tables and cabinetry that were the essence of the Streamline Moderne style.
Rohde died suddenly in 1944. The following year, De Pree turned to George Nelson, an architect who had written widely about modern furniture design. Under Nelson’s leadership, Herman Miller would embrace new technologies and materials and audacious biomorphic forms.
Some of the pieces the company produced are now emblems of 20th century American design, including the Eames lounge chair and ottoman and Nelson’s Marshmallow sofa and Coconut chair. Such instantly recognizable furnishings have become timeless — staples of a modernist décor; striking, offbeat notes in traditional environments.
Find a range of vintage Herman Miller office chairs, desks, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Buffalo, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Early 2nd Generation Charles and Ray Eames Arm Shell ChairBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Buffalo, NYClassic Mid-Century fiberglass arm shell chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames, 2nd year production featuring early exposed fibers, heavy iron x base, larg...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Early 2nd Generation X Base Translucent Arm Shell Lounge Chair by Charles EamesBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Buffalo, NYEarly 2nd generation X base translucent arm shell lounge chair by Charles Eames for Herman Miller. Amazing condition, featuring low aluminum X base, large domes of silence shock moun...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Pair of Charles and Ray Eames Padded Arm Shell Chairs, Two-Tone /Herman MillerBy Charles Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Buffalo, NYClassic pair of Mid-Century Modern padded arm shell chairs,Designed by Charles and Ray Eames, for Herman Miller. Beautiful two-tone, chairs are in really ni...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAluminum
- 1st Generation Charles Eames Zenith/Herman Miller Plastic Rope Edge ChairBy Zenith, Herman Miller, Charles EamesLocated in Buffalo, NYRare, early set of 4 Charles and Ray Eames Fiberglass arm shell chairs, extremely rare "Raw Umber" color, all 4 chairs retain original...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Charles and Ray Eames Swivel Padded Arm Shell Chairs, Two-ToneBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Buffalo, NYPair of Charles and Ray Eames swivel padded arm shell chairs, unusual color combination, early brown exposed fiberglass shells. Mustard yellow fabric covers, gray piping, early four ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- CLassic Brazilian Rosewood and Leather Eames Lounge Chair & Ott Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Buffalo, NYIconic 670 lounge chair and 671 ottoman, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. A luxuriously soft and comfortable design. Frame showcases the gorgeous Brazilian rosewo...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Vitra Design Museum Miniature LCW By Charles And Ray EamesBy Charles and Ray Eames, VitraLocated in Costa Mesa, CAVitra Design Museum Miniature LCW By Charles And Ray Eames , great original condition, comes with original box, pamphlet and packing paper.Category
1990s Polish Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsWood
- Mid Century Ray and Charles Eames Leg Splint for Evans ProductsBy Evans Products Company, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in San Jose, CAMid century WWII leg splint created by Charles and Ray Eames for Evans Products Company, 1943. Specifically designed for the US Navy, this iconic piece of history is sculpturally crafted in one piece using...Category
Vintage 1940s North American Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
MaterialsPlywood
- Charles & Ray Eames Leg Splint Evans Products 1943 Original Evans Product LabelBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Monrovia, CACHARLES EAMES LEG SPLINT EVANS PRODUCTS 1943. Charles Eames Leg Splint In Original Paper Wrapper Evans Products Company Eames Birch Plywood Leg Splint 1943 Charles Ray Eames Mid Century Modern. Evans Products Molded Plywood Leg Splint 1943. Authentic Charles Eames Leg Splint Of Birch Plywood For Transportation. Charles And Ray Eames Design. 1 Vintage 1943 CHARLES EAMES SPLINT Leg Plywood For Transportation In Original Paper Wrapping With Original Vintage EVANS Products Label. Never Been Unwrapped. WW2 Leg Splint For The United States Navy. Charles and Ray Eames Leg Splint...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsWood
- Single Leg Splint by Charles & Ray Eames for Evans Products Company, 1940sBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Chicago, ILA Mid-Century Modern leg splint created by Charles and Ray Eames for Evans Products Company in the 1940s. Specifically designed for the US Navy, this leg splint is crafted of molded ...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Mounted Objects
MaterialsWood
- Gaby Fois Dorell Voyager Lounge Chair and FootstoolBy Gaby Fois Dorell, SaporitiLocated in Dronten, NLExceptional and rare Voyager lounge chair with footstool designed by artist Gaby Fois Dorell for Saporiti, Italy. Gaby Fois Dorell is a French-American artist and designer known for...Category
Early 2000s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Ripped Wood Lounge Chair by Willem Van HooffBy Willem Van HooffLocated in Geneve, CHRipped Wood Lounge Chair by Willem Van Hooff Handmade Dimensions: W 50 to 56 x H 70 to 80 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes...Category
2010s Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsWood
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.