Lounge chair - Eames (1956)

The Lounge Chair is one of the best-known designs of Charles and Ray Eames. Created in 1956, but conceived several years earlier, it is a classic in the history of modern furniture, present in museums such as the MOMA in New York or the Art Institute of Chicago, and in very fine homes all over the world.

Much ink has been spilled praising this wonderful armchair, and perhaps there is little we can tell you that you don't already know, although the important thing is not the what (which is also important), but the how?

Billy Wilder, a friend of the couple's, used to take a lot of snoozing when he was invited to lunch, and the armchair he used suffered and slouched under the weight of the famous director. The Eameses thought that their friend needed a chair that was comfortable, very comfortable, so, moved by this situation and inspired by the traditional English club chair and an old baseball glove, they conceived the Lounge Chair.

But the pregnancy lasted a little more than nine months, as it took several years of reflection and work before the final shape of the chair was given in 1956 for the furniture firm Herman Miller.

It was their first design expressly created for the affluent consumer. In this video we can see their presentation campaign.

//www.youtube.com/embed/9SWL4gTQfTA

The current design is slightly larger than the original, as humans are constantly increasing in size (our mania), and its production is totally handmade and environmentally friendly, as all the plywood comes from sustainably managed forests and the rest of the materials are recycled or recyclable... Although the best way to recycle this marvel is to pass it on from one generation to the next.     

There are a lot of copies out there, but don't be fooled, they only Herman Miller y Vitra produce the original, for the American and European markets, respectively.

By the way, don't miss the first film about Charles & Ray Eames, Eames: The Architect and the PainterThe documentary, directed by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey and narrated by James Franco, is the result of a huge production of footage, much of it previously unpublished.