Eames Chair Influences

Question 1

What is the full name of the design and the date it was created?

Answer 1

lounge chair and ottoman created by Charles and Ray Eams in 1956.

Question 2

1. Influence

Answer 2

(What) The catcher’s mitt influenced the design of the lounge chair and ottoman. (Where) This can be seen in the curved plywood used on the exterior of the design. (Why) The catcher’s mitt is something Charles owned as a child and reminded him of the human body sinking into a soft/comfortable leather material, like when the ball was caught in baseball.

Question 3

2. Influence

Answer 3

(What) The chair was inspired by nature and societies connection to our planet. (Where) This can be seen in the overall curvature in the back of the chair, which resembles the spherical shape of the earth. (Why) This emphasises the organic forms extracted from the earth, as well as including the plywood texture from trees which connects the design to the enviroment.

Question 4

3. Influence

Answer 4

(What) The chair was inspired by Charles and Ray Eam’s previous stretcher design for world war II. (Where) The chair has simillar physical properties as well as including curved plywood on the underside of the chair. (Why) The physical properties like the light weight, sturdiness and flexibility of the chair gives a more comfortable experience to the user, as well as making it more durable.

Question 5

4. Influence

Answer 5

(What) The chair was inspired by high end designs. (Where) We can see this in the use of leather, rounded arms and wood accents often seen in other, more pricey chair designs. (Why) These were mainly taken from english club chairs during the 19th century, which were known for being a luxury chair design