Eames- The MCM Gateway Drug

The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. Photo courtesy of HermanMiller.com

Various chair designs by Charles and Ray Eames. Photo courtesy of the Eames Official website.

We have a lot of awesome customers and perusers here at Mid Mod Collective. And one of the top pieces of furniture they ask about? The Eames Lounge Chair. It's seriously the Holy Grail of mid-century furniture. Everyone wants one (or thinks they have one), companies and designers have been making knock-offs for years, and you see it constantly in film and television.

But Charles and Ray Eames were so much more than that (obviously incredible) chair. They were a husband and wife team that came up with incredible ideas and inventions, had an impressive portfolio of architecture and film work, and happened to design furniture as well. 

Their overall philosophy was that function is important to everyone- no matter who they who they are or what their status is in life. So even things that are incredibly "high end" or "designer" still come back to humans' basic need for functionality. Charles touched on this in a speech he made about design that has become known as the "Banana Leaf Parable." With that philosophy as their guide, Charles and Ray became some of the best well known designers in modern history- very much because their design was intended for all people.
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But with genius design and creativity, comes both popularity and mimicry. This is how the Eames became mid-century poster children. You can find plastic versions of their famous fiberglass shell chairs all over the internet now. Even a copy of their coat rack is sold with dorm room supplies every fall. People are buying things they don't even know can be credited to the Eames. All they know is they like it, it mixes well with many styles, and it's wonderfully functional and useful. 

So next time you walk into a hip coffee shop with a bunch of sexy seating or an office with sleek, modern chairs, notice how much of it can be attributed to Charles and Ray- you might be pleasantly surprised. 

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Ray (left) and Charles (right) Eames. Photo courtesy of the Eames Official Website.