8.19.2009

charles and ray: where they worked

Ray's desk, 1976



Charles Eames said that 'recognizing the need' is the primary condition for design.

Early in their careers together, Charles and Ray Eames identified the need for affordable, yet high-quality furniture for the average consumer, furniture that could serve a variety of uses. For forty years the Eameses experimented with ways to meet this challenge, designing flexibility into their compact storage units and collapsible sofas for the home, seating for stadiums, airports and schools — and chairs for virtually anywhere.
Their chairs were designed for Herman Miller in four materials: molded plywood, fiberglass-reinforced plastic, bent and welded wire mesh and cast aluminum. The conceptual backbone of this diverse work was the search for seat and back forms that comfortably support the human body, using three-dimensionally shaped surfaces or flexible materials instead of cushioned upholstery. An ethos of functionalism informed all of their furniture designs. "What works is better than what looks good," Ray said. "The looks good can change, but what works, works."



Charles's desk, 1976




Did you know? Charles died August 21, 1978. Ray died ten years later to the day.






:images and info eames office; find my other homage to charles and ray here

5 comments:

Jane Flanagan said...

How I love their workspace!

Aprile said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog : ) I'm a bit of a paper hoarder, haha.

Jen said...

I'm really enjoying seeing these work spaces. I love Eames furniture.

automatism said...

Wonderful. I've always been a huge fan of Ray and Charles!

dee said...

What an interesting post...I really enjoyed this!