Restored 1960's Herman Miller No1 Hardwood Eames Lounge Armchair and Ottoman
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Maker)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 33.08 in (84 cm)Depth: 33.67 in (85.5 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2823331976162
Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman
Long before it was the pièce de résistance in a collector’s office or an upscale bachelor pad — landing in ample design magazines, on television and in well-appointed offices over the years — the Eames lounge chair was a fresh, subversive new take on a classic club chair and a culmination of experimentation by its inventive creators.
Charles and Ray Eames (1907–78; 1912–88) met while studying at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the prestigious Michigan institution that drew such illustrious design minds as Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen and more. After graduation, they formed the Eames Office, where they spent much time exploring and formulating new techniques in bent plywood and fiberglass with the goal of producing affordable furniture for a mass market. The Eames lounger, on the other hand — with its signature wood-grain back and sumptuous (usually black) leather seat — was different.
While the couple’s DCW chairs, introduced in the 1940s, prioritized ease of production and affordability of materials, the lounge, which debuted in 1956, was Charles and Ray’s interpretation of luxury furniture. And to the Eameses, luxury meant, above all, comfort. The couple famously called the lounge chair and ottoman “a special refuge from the strains of modern living” and described their design as having the “warm receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.”
Although the seat makes use of the same bentwood technique the Eameses pioneered using their famous “Kazam! Machine” (a handmade apparatus for molding plywood) for their DCW chairs, it tops off this frame with supple leather over a plump, upholstered shape.
Ever fascinated by ergonomics, the Eameses carefully calibrated the pitch of the seat. It has enough flexibility for comfort but not so much that stability is sacrificed. This precise shape comes by way of three connected plywood pieces, which, on early models were covered in five layers of Brazilian rosewood; owing to an early 1990s-era embargo on the material, however, the Brazilian rosewood has since been replaced with either ash, walnut or palisander. The accompanying ottoman is the icing on the comfort cake, inviting the sitter to quite literally kick back and relax.
Today, imitations of the Eames lounge chair and ottoman abound. The seat is currently manufactured by both Herman Miller and Vitra, and when it was launched initially by the former, the supporting marketing blitz emphasized the chair’s versatility — an effort that, given the seat’s current ubiquitousness, was clearly successful.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Restored Pair of 1960 Herman Miller No1 Hardwood Eames Lounge Armchairs OttomansBy Charles and Ray Eames, Charles Eames, Herman MillerLocated in GBWe are delighted to offer extremely rare and important pair of fully restored, original, Herman Miller No1 & Herman Miller Hillie circa 1958-1960 black leather and Rosewood lounge armchairs and ottomans These are pretty much the most iconic and well known armchair and ottoman ever made, exhibited countless times, displayed in the V&A, Metropolitan Museum of Art, winners of countless awards these are the simply put the finest suite around They have been on a journey, I’ve had all pieces stripped to the bare shells, the frames have been washed back and traditionally French polished, the leather all restored and hand dyed the original nero black, they are the finest example pair anywhere in the world today One suite has the black Herman Miller No1 label, the other, the earlier redish Herman Miller Hillie label Condition wise, the restoration has been done in such a way to keep all the original charm and patina but make them gallery ready, they will have age and use related patina marks here and there but mostly they are in very fine order Dimensions armchairs Height:- 80.5cm Width:- 85cm Depth:- 86.5cm Seat height:- 41cm Dimensions ottomans Height:- 42cm Width:- 65.5cm Depth:- 53.5cm Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, MUST READ! The Eames Lounge Chair and ottoman are furnishings made of molded plywood and leather, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for the Herman Miller furniture company. They are officially titled Eames Lounge ( 670 ) and Ottoman ( 671 ) and were released in 1956 after years of development by designers. It was the first chair that the Eameses designed for a high-end market. Examples of these furnishings are part of the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art. Design Charles and Ray Eames sought to develop furniture that could be mass-produced and affordable, with the exception of the Eames Lounge Chair. This luxury item was inspired by the traditional English club chair. The Eames Lounge Chair is an icon of Modern style design, although when it was first made, Ray Eames remarked in a letter to Charles that the chair looked "comfortable and un-designy". Charles's vision was for a chair with "the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt." The chair is composed of three curved plywood shells covered with veneer: the headrest, the backrest and the seat. The layers are glued together and shaped under heat and pressure. The shells and the seat cushions are essentially of the same shape, and composed of two curved forms interlocking to form a solid mass. The chair back and headrest are identical in proportion, as are the seat and the ottoman. The products have changed in various ways over time. Beginning in 1956 and running through the very early 1990s, the shells were made up of five thin layers of plywood which were covered by a veneer of Brazilian rosewood. The use of Brazilian rosewood was discontinued in the early 1990s, and current production since then consists of seven layers of plywood covered by finishing veneers of cherry, walnut, palisander rosewood (a sustainably grown wood with similar grain patterns to the original Brazilian versions), and other finishes. Small changes include the sets of spacers between the aluminum spines and the wood panels, originally of rubber, later hard plastic washers, and the number of screws securing the armrests, originally three, changed to two in second-series models, while the "domes of silence" (glides/feet) on the chair base originally had thinner screws attaching them to the aluminum base than those on later chairs, and the zipper around the cushions, either brown or black on early models, was later black only. Further, early ottomans had removable rubber slide-on feet with metal glides, and early labels are of oblong foil. History The Eames Lounge Chair first...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Hardwood
- Vintage Mid Century Modern Herman Miller No1 Eames Conference TableBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in GBWe are delighted to offer this super rare and highly collectable, original, Mid Century Modern, Herman Miller No1 Edition conference table, which were purchased by the original owner...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Comfortable Artsome Brown Leather Lounge Armchair & Ottoman with Bentwood FrameLocated in GBWe are delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning, Artsome, hand dyed saddle brown leather lounge armchair with matching ottoman A very well made, decorative and extreme...Category
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Bentwood
- Restored 1970s Whisky Brown Leather Swivel Lounge Armchair & Ottoman Part SetLocated in GBWe are delighted to offer for sale this stunning fully restore vintage circa 1970's hand dyed Whisky brown leather swivel armchair with matching ottoman which is part of a small suite Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote, please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price. This chair is part of a set as mentioned, I have this swivel armchair with matching ottoman and listed under my other items, the matching armchair with castors...Category
Vintage 1970s English Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Ralph Lauren Writer's Aged Brown Leather Armchair and Footstool OttomanBy Ralph LaurenLocated in GBWe are delighted to offer for sale this stunning original Ralph Lauren Writers armchair and matching ottoman RRP £15,745 in aged brown vintage leat...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- VITRA CHARLES & RAY EAMES AMERiCAN CHERRY WOOD WHITE LEATHER LOUNGE ARMCHAIRBy Charles and Ray Eames, VitraLocated in GBRoyal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this now discontinued, Limited Edition, Ivory white leather upholstered, American Cherry Wood framed, Vitra Eames lounge armchair ...Category
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Cherry
- Restored Eames Herman Miller Lounge Chair and OttomanBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYSimply stunning restored Eames lounge chair and ottoman by Herman Miller. Spectacular color and grain detail on the outer shells. Wood has been cleaned, oiled, and freshly finished i...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Aluminum
- Gorgeous Restored Eames Herman Miller Lounge Chair and OttomanBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYSimply stunning restored Eames lounge chair and ottoman by Herman Miller. Spectacular color and grain detail on the outer shells. Wood has been cleaned, oiled, and freshly finished i...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Aluminum
- Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and OttomanBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYHandsome classic Eames lounge chair and ottoman. Executed in rosewood and black leather. Cast aluminum bases, with adjustable “domes of silence” leveling glides. Extremely comfortabl...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Restored Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman with Custom New CushionsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYIncredibly vibrant and elegant edition of the classic Herman Miller Eames lounge chair and ottoman, circa 1960s-70s chair with original Herman Miller label. Custom leather cushions i...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Vintage Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and OttomanBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo LeonClassic rosewood and black leather lounge chair and ottoman, 670 & 671 designed by Charles and Ray Eames by Herman Miller, circa 1969, original ...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Herman Miller Rosewood Eames Lounge Chair 1960sBy Charles and Ray Eames, Ray Eames, Charles Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Saint Paul, MNAbout as iconic as they come. The Eames 670, more commonly known as the Eames Lounge Chair was the brain child of the modernist masters Ray and Charles Eames. Conceived in 1956, it's...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsRosewood
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.
Iconic Furniture Makes This 1958 Midwestern Home a True Mid-Century Gem
Designer Susan Yeley turned to 1stDibs to outfit an Indiana home with standout pieces that complement its modernist style.