OSP Home Furnishings Wood Banker's Desk Chair with Padded Seat, Adjustable Height and Locking Tilt, Carbon Steel Engineered Rubberwood Foam, Espresso Finish and Black Vinyl, NO Size

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With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles. Quite simply, an eames chair could be any chair, designed by the now legendary American mid-century designer Charles Eames. The reality however is that there are some, more than others, that profess to have created that reputation, let's explore in more details.

There would be lots to choose from let’s face it, the original Eames Office was turning out furniture designs for forty years after all. Of course, it goes without saying that what makes a chair an ‘Eames Chair’ goes a lot deeper than that. Here, we take a retrospective look at what made original ‘Eames Chairs’ quite so special and which ones stood head and shoulders over the rest in creating that reputation. The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.

We can consider the hard work, determination and endeavour of those involved in the project as a factor, can't we? Yes of course, given the success, not only with this but for the entire duration of the Eames Office, I think it is safe to say it is a given! But commitment by an inventor or a designer is a must in any project and let’s be honest, this can also be present even in ones that ultimately fail. It takes more than that and we believe the stardust of the DCM comes down to a few things namely MOMA, Herman Miller, Timing and Styling. Let's find out more. The 1946 release of the plywood furniture group would see a collection of very well thought out pieces that appealed across the board. It would also see the first indication of an Eames trait whereby various chair bases utilizing the same tops could create what was essentially variants of the same thing. The plywood group had a bit of everything, tables for dining ( DTW) tables for occasional use ( CTM, CTW, OTW) and chairs for lounge ( LCW, LCM) alongside the chairs for dining, the DCW and DCM. Herman Miller marketing would have course play a role, they were good at it! Adverts would appear all over the national press in various high-level publications and journals, but this was normal from a company well used to getting the word out there. But that extra level of desirability came from the marketing of others too, often by association because everyone ‘wanted to be seen’ with the Eames Lounge Chair. Big powerhouse firms such as Marlboro would employ the look and feel of the lounger to match with their own advertising. The advertising of the chair was very much aimed at ‘the man of house’ which was normal for the times. Both Herman Miller and others would look to create that high level of desirability for a man to create that gentleman’s club in his own personal space.

Make no mistake, Herman Miller turned around the fortunes of this furniture ‘start-up’. The war time collaboration between Charles Eames and the Evans Molded Plywood Division was moving into uncharted territory post war and Evans had zero experience in the furniture industry. Their reluctance to ‘go all in’ was somewhat hampering the ambitions of the fledgling Eames Office and help was sorely needed. Up steps George Nelson and the Herman Miller Furniture Company.Consumers based in the UK and European Union can request to return the Goods on Vinterior up to 14 days after the Goods have been received. Once accepted, the buyer is in charge of the shipment and should organise it as soon as possible (except in the case of a return of faulty Goods). What a difference a decade makes! Charles Eames' early struggles with the molded plywood technology were all butconsigned to history following years of great effort and research, not to mention collaborative expertise from colleagues and peers. The war years had re-enforced Charles’ long held belief that the strengthened plywood could be something, and so it would be proven.

Herman Miller would use their expertise, and indeed their faith in new design, to push the product to new boundaries. They would both create and sustain the legend of the ‘ eames chair’ through clever and eye-catching marketing campaigns that elevated the piece as ‘world famous’ as ‘cutting edge’ as ‘the Eames Chair’. Adverts appeared in major periodicals of the time and sales were climbing and climbing, breakthrough had been made and the lift off to the proverbial moon was underway. The Eames’ earlier work had concentrated on providing value for money and fulfilling that need for post war conservatism. Here however was a chair meant for luxury and it was priced accordingly, after all it was not cheap to make with most elements being made by hand. Even by today's standards, the pricing may well be seen by many as ‘out of reach’ or at the very least ‘high value’. This however is exactly what created that extra dimension of desirability in the design. It was expensive, it was rare, an investment into your life, it was something to desire and strive for because it wasn’t (for many) easily available. And for those that could afford it, here was a status symbol, a new modernist statement of luxury to go alongside your motor car and expensive Swiss watch. It made perfect sense, as Herman Miller was a specialist in utilizing wood in furniture design, to use Zenith plastics as an advocate of this new fiberglass material. It also meant that Herman Miller didn’t have to put all the money in to fund the tooling, molds, research and development as Zenith would also contribute half towards the successful creation of the product. With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.

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Make no mistake, Herman Miller was once again instrumental in the Fiberglass chairs becoming the phenomena they have. But unlike the struggles of the Evans company with the molded plywood, the chairs were initially being made and made well by Zenith Plastics, based in Los Angeles, California. Miller was once again initially utilized as the distributor, creating the advertising, the marketing and exclusively selling the pieces through their network of stores country wide. Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more. The centuries old saying ‘a face that launched a thousand ships’ may have originated from Greek mythology, but more contemporary uses of the phrase tend to be aimed at originators of work or models of beauty etc. It is the perfect phrase too for the Eames Lounge Chair because the ripple effect on the industry would be far and wide. Chairs modeled on the look and feel of the Lounger would begin appearing from furniture manufacturers the world over. Some would be loosely based on the design whilst others could be described as direct copies. It was a look that clearly resonated, that had high levels of desirability and this ‘extra copy market’ was testament to this.