Some chairs you buy; others you pass down. Charles and Ray Eames's Lounge Chair belongs firmly in the second group: an object designed from day one to age alongside its owner.
An English club chair, reimagined
By the mid-1950s the Eameses were already famous for their moulded plywood and fibreglass chairs — light, affordable, democratic. The Lounge Chair was a change of register: this time the brief was pure comfort and unapologetic luxury. The reference was the old English club chair, deep and enveloping, which Charles wanted to strip of its heaviness.
Charles Eames wanted his chair to have the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt.
Three shells, one balance
The construction comes down to a few parts: three moulded plywood shells (seat, back and headrest) finished in veneer, leather cushions set in like separate pieces, and a swivelling aluminium base. The shells never touch each other — they are joined by metal brackets and rubber shock mounts that give the whole chair a subtle give.
The chair was introduced to the public in 1956, live on American television.
A plywood lineage
The Eameses learned to master bent wood during the war, moulding leg splints for the US Navy. The 1945 LCW was the first domestic expression of that know-how; the Lounge Chair is its culmination.
Why it still matters
Produced without interruption by Herman Miller in the United States and Vitra in Europe, the Lounge Chair has outlived every trend without ever relying on one. The original Brazilian rosewood veneer has given way to less endangered woods, but the design itself hasn't changed.
- Year: 1956
- Designers: Charles and Ray Eames
- Manufacturers: Herman Miller, Vitra
- Materials: moulded plywood, leather, aluminium
A word from Arcami: beware of copies. A genuine Lounge Chair shows in its proportions, the way its cushions sit and the quality of its veneer — and it often resells for more than it cost.
