Charles Eames; 1907-1978 Ray Eames; 1912-1988
At the age of 14, Charled Eames worked at Laclede Steel Company, where he learnt engineering, drawing and architecture. He attended Washington University where he was dropped out because of hi "too modern" views. He met his wife Ray at Cranbook, where they both were working. Ray was an artist, designer and also a film maker. In 1933, she had graduated from Bennett Collage and was a founder of American Abstract Artists.
The classic LCM chair was designed between 1945 and 1946. The seat and back panel were made out of molded plywood, and the legs chromium plating finish rods. For some flexibility and also to join all the chair's elements, Eames used rubber mouths. The lounge chair was a low cost item and was quickly mass produced everywhere.
670 chair and 671 ottoman were designed in 1956. It was the best retail success Eames ever made. It's concept was to be warm and comfortable to be frequently used. It was fulled with foam rubber and filled button upholstery. The seat and back were molded plywood shells of Rosewood timber veneer. Unlike the swiveling seat, the base of the chair had a fixed, 4 cast aluminium base.
This chair very much reminds me of Le Corbusier's chaise lounge chair, which also had a metal frame and had foam filled leather cushioning and same function and concept.
Le Corbusier's Chaise Lounge Chair
An interesting video about the making of the 670 lounge chair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbF8QYU4LSA
The Eames house was built in 1949 at Pacific Palisades California. The modern house was richly decorated with art and architectural projects, books and artifacts. At first, they were not designing it for themselves, but when it was done they fell in love with it and the meadows, and ended up living there. The target audience they were designing it for was a married couple with no children.
The outside of this house reminds me a lot of the Schroder house from the De Stijl movement. Both their exteriors have the boxy, cubist idea, and they also both have the primary colours painted on the outside.
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| SCHRODER HOUSE EXTERIOR |
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| FOREIGN EAMES |
(2014). Charles & Ray. Available: http://eamesoffice.com/charles-and-ray/. Last accessed 24th january 2014.
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