The judges who awarded Eames and Saarinen the First Place Prize for Case Goods in the 1941 Organic Design Competition were very specific about the unique benefits of their system. They noted that while separate bases on which case goods could be placed had been used by other furniture designers, Eames and Saarinen went several…
Few of their earliest breakthrough artistic experiments would merge art and technology so perfectly as their iconic 1943 Plywood Sculpture, which embodies the pioneering spirit of Charles and Ray’s personal relationship, multidisciplinary working partnership, and wholly original thinking. Characterized by delicate changes in thickness and graceful three-dimensional curves, the groundbreaking, innovative molding techniques worked out…
In 1942, the Eameses pondered how molded plywood could address a serious problem the Medical Corps was struggling to solve: The standard metal splints used to brace wounded World War II servicemen were causing further injuries due to the vibrations in the metal during transport. Within one year, Charles and Ray produced their first Molded…
In 1942, the Eameses pondered how molded plywood could address a serious problem the Medical Corps was struggling to solve: The standard metal splints used to brace wounded World War II servicemen were causing further injuries due to the vibrations in the metal during transport. Within one year, Charles and Ray produced their first Molded…
In conjunction with the Molded Plywood Splints, Charles and Ray constructed various molded plywood aircraft parts for the U.S. Navy. Part of Charles and Ray’s experimentation with molded plywood included producing airplane stabilizer tails, fuselage, and other aircraft parts for manufacturers such as Vultee Aircraft. The Eameses had to create larger, more complex versions of…
In conjunction with the Molded Plywood Splints, Charles and Ray constructed various molded plywood aircraft parts for the U.S. Navy. Part of Charles and Ray’s experimentation with molded plywood included producing airplane stabilizer tails, fuselage, and other aircraft parts for manufacturers such as Vultee Aircraft. The Eameses had to create larger, more complex versions of…
In 1942, the Eameses pondered how molded plywood could address a serious problem the Medical Corps was struggling to solve: The standard metal splints used to brace wounded World War II servicemen were causing further injuries due to the vibrations in the metal during transport. Within one year, Charles and Ray produced their first Molded…
By 1945, when the Eames molded plywood group was introduced to potential distribution partners, and 1946, when the group was introduced to the public in a rather grand way, at the Museum of Modern Art, Charles and Ray had many years of plywood experience under their belt. Charles had used plywood for the Kleinhans Auditorium,…
The development of the experimental Eames 1944 Lounge Chair had its origins in the successful process of designing and making Eames leg splints. With the leg splints, Charles and Ray had achieved what eluded previous designers in plywood: thin sheets of plywood molded with compound curves. Eames 1944 Lounge Chair During World War 2, Charles…
In early 1943, Architectural Forum dedicated an issue around an unknown year in the near future, 194X, and invited architects to submit plans demonstrating “how buildings might be improved through fuller and more imaginative uses of existing resources.” During this time, the world was in the throes of war, and this hypothetical future date represented…
It is charming and representative of the kind of people they were that the first furniture that Charles and Ray successfully designed and mass-produced was furniture for children. Eames Child’s Desk The Eames Child’s Desk is a molded plywood desk or play table, and the largest of the three designs for Children brought out by…
It is charming and representative of the kind of people they were that the first furniture that Charles and Ray successfully designed and mass-produced was furniture for children. Eames Children’s Furniture The Eames Children’s Furniture (child’s chair, stool, and table) were designed and produced using the wartime tooling they developed for leg splints and airplane…
