The Architect and the Painter

Following Alvar Aalto’s discoveries were the couple, Ray and Charles Eames. Charles came from an architectural background whilst Ray came from a background of painting and weaving as well as the new developing Abstract expressionism. They travelled to Europe and were both exposed to the works of the Modern Movement, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Gropius.

Their breakthrough was when they won the Organic Design in home furnishings Competition which was held at the Museum of Modern Art New York in 1940. This competition sought new contemporary forms of home furnishings, upholstery and related items. The winners were Eames and Eero Saarinen who had collaborated to form an organic curved wooden shell chair that united beauty with comfort. It was a new idea of design in contrast with the harsh, geometric forms which were being seen at the moment of the Industrial Style, and it was that factor which made them win the competition.

The discoveries made by Ray and Charles Eames in the bending of wood got them a commission from the US Navy to develop plywood splints, stretchers and glider shells which were moulded by heat and high pressure. Their revolutionary proposals were state of the art in manufacturing technique, firstly the moulding of plywood into complex curves and also the use of cycle welding which enables metal and wood to be joined by the electronic bonding process. At this time there were a lot of advancements in technology which made these techniques possible. Such example could be seen in:

Plywood splints commissioned by US Navy

CTW table and screen and LCW plywood chair

They did not only produce furniture and necessities needed by the war but also children’s toys and they used the same techniques which made these works immediately recognisable as Eames creations. The fact that they were making use of bent wood it made their products strong even though they had a light weight appearance to them.

 

In early 1940’s Charles Eames used to work for MGM in creating movie sets and also working with his wife in creating and developing the Kazam machine. It was the machine that made all their creations possible. Although in early designs they had to split the wood at specific points so that the mould would not burst.

 

The Kazam Machine and Chair Shell Experiments, designed 1941-45, moulded plywood, metal, and rubber.

Once they had mastered the moulding technique Ray and Charles Eames moved onto another material thus created the fibreglass moulded chairs series. This way they had provided a universal seat shell that could be mass produced therefore it was cheaper to the consumer and it could be applied to a variety of bases. Their designs were so innovative that we still see them in today.

Eames plastic shell chair with various bases 1948-1950.

Eames Wire Mesh Chair 1951-1953.

Plastic Mould of La Chaise 1948.

Today we consider these designs as elegant and a sense of style in which whoever has one wants to show a statement of lifestyle and living. I am not talking about only the Eames chairs but also other innovative designs such as Arne Jacobsen’s famous Egg and Swan Chair. Said designs often go unnoticed when we watch a movie because they still blend well with our present lifestyle and are ageless due to their organic forms. So I did some research about these designs so that I can point out in which movies they were shown, but the list was much longer than I expected when I came across Anne-Sophie’s blog in which she gives a detailed analysis. This blog can be found at: http://www.retrofurnish.com/blog/en/2012/08/design-in-movies-week-2/

Some examples consist of:

Eero Saarinen’s Eero Chair which is a reminiscent of the chair by which he had won the MOMA competition with Charles Eames but this time it is more refined, with more padding and the use of chrome for the legs.

We also have the Pedestal Chair which was innovative in its own way. This was due to the fact that it was produced to have one base instead of four legs which gave a sense of lightness.

These two stylish chairs are the Swan and Egg Chairs 1957-1958 by Arne Jacobsen which were created as a whole with the Arne Jacobsen Royal Hotel Copenhagen 1956-1960. 

These are the Panton Chair 1960 and Cone Chair 1958 by Verner Panton.

Vitra Design Museum. UN. Organic Armchair Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen [online] Available at: http://www.design-museum.de/en/collection/100-masterpieces/detailseiten/organic-armchair-charles-eames-und-eero-saarinen.html [Accessed on 23^rd November 2013]

 Herman Miller. Design Story.[online] Available at: http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/multi-use-guest-chairs/eames-molded-plywood-chairs.html [Accessed on 23^rd November 2013]

Tom. April 2013. Miniature Chair Man: Charles and Ray Eames - Time-Life stools [online] Available at: http://www.miniaturechairman.com/8/category/charles%20and%20ray%20eames/1.html [Accessed on 23^rd November 2013]

Anne-Sophie. August 2012. Design in Movies: week 2. [online] Available at: http://www.retrofurnish.com/blog/en/2012/08/design-in-movies-week-2/ [Accessed on 23^rd November 2013]