La Chaise: When Art Meets Function
Charles and Ray Eames together provided numerous contributions to furniture design, architecture, and industrial design. They are regarded as some of the most influential American designers in the 20thcentury, and their work continues to inspire to this day.
Ray Eames was a painter from Sacramento, and Charles, a Missouri native, was an architect. The two met in Michigan at the Cranbrook Academy. After marrying in 1941, they moved to California and began furniture design work together.
After designing multiple pieces with plywood molding, including “the chair of the century”, they partnered for production with Herman Miller, Inc. and Vitra International, both of which continue to produce the Eames’ furniture today. The two would often design and enter pieces into different competitions, and in 1948 they designed a lounge chair for the “International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design” at the Museum of Modern Arts. La Chaise, French for the chair, was inspired by Gaston Lachaise’s Floating Figure sculpture such that the curves in the chair mirror that of the sculpture.
The La Chaise wasn’t sold commercially until 1996, long after Ray and Charles had both passed. Today it can be purchased from Vitra International for almost twelve thousand dollars. The price of construction was what kept the Eames from producing it during their time.
The chair consists of oak feet, chrome legs, and two fiberglass shells. The elegant organic shape allows the chair to hold its own. Its curves read differently at each angle and view point, which allows the viewer to interact with the chair in a home, just as one might gaze upon an installation in a museum. Its fluid shape evokes a natural organic feel despite being made from a man-made material. When considering the Floating Figure sculpture that inspired the chair, it is intriguing to see the departure from such a solid and large sculpture to the soft and flowing chair. Somehow they both manage to evoke a tranquility and peace in two diverse ways.
La Chaise has both the strength and presence of a sculpture, and the function of a well-designed chair with human factors considered. The chair is captured being used and interacted with in many different ways, which is perhaps the true genius of the design. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but it is also well suited for human interaction. It certainly exemplifies one of the design principles that the Eames lived by, “It’s all about being a good host to your guest” — quoted in the documentary, Eames: The Architect and The Painter.The Eames found a way to serve a chair that could be effectively interacted with visually and physically. The chair has been photographed with many different postures and numbers of users.
All in all, La Chaise is one of many examples of the Eames’ ground breaking work. The two have certainly left a legacy in design, and were astonishingly able to create works that are timeless, functional, and beautiful.
Resources:
https://eames.com/en/la-chaise
https://www.eamesoffice.com/the-work/la-chaise/
https://stanford.kanopy.com/video/eames-architect-and-painter
