I still look at this chair and can’t believe it was designed in 1948, 5 years before I was born. I think you’ll agree with me that Charles and Ray Eames were ahead of their time and possessed with a vision that was largely responsible for what we now know as Mid-Century Modern.
Let me take you back to 1948. This was the post-war era and the Eames’ were extremely conscious of the need for cheap, functional, reliable, mass-produced goods for America’s young families. They had contributed to the war effort and they were determined to do the same in the post-war period. Moreover, the Eames’ had always been fascinated with new materials especially those that allowed them to do more with less.
The first design iteration of this chair was made of stamped metal and was submitted to The Museum of Modern Art’s 1948 International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design. The competition was conceived to address the urgent need in the post-war period for low-cost housing and furniture designs adaptable to small housing units and included the following in its catalogue: “To serve the needs of the vast majority of people, we must have furniture that is adaptable to small apartments and houses, furniture that is well designed yet moderate in price, that is comfortable but not bulky and that can be easily moved, stored and cared for; in other words, mass-produced furniture that is planned and executed to fit the needs of modern living, production and merchandising.”
Charles Eames wrote: “Metal stamping is the technique synonymous with mass production in this country, yet “acceptable” furniture in this material is noticeably absent…By using forms that reflect the positive nature of the stamping technique in combination with a surface treatment that cuts down heat transfer, dampens sound and is pleasant to the touch, we feel that it is possible to free metal furniture from the negative bias from which it has suffered.”
The International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design attracted 3,000 submissions. The Eames’ partnered with engineers from UCLA to submit their designs for low-cost metal-stamped seating and were awarded second place (shared with a submission by David J. Pratt) in the Seating Units category.
Alas, the metal-stamped chairs never went into production. Instead, the Eames’ partnered with Zeneth Plastics, a company that had made fiberglass reinforced radar domes during the War and in 1950, in collaboration with Herman Miller, started commercial production of the DSR (Dining Side-chair Rod) chair. At first, the shells were made of Zenaloy, a plastic resin reinforced with fiberglass. Customers had the choice of several interchangeable supports – wood legs, rod legs, wire struts, a cast aluminum pedestal with casters and birch rockers on wire struts. Supports were attached with rubber mounts. The molding was comfortably anatomical complete with a waterfall seat edge. The DSR became the first un-upholstered plastic chair to be mass-produced.
Still produced by Herman Miller today and commonly known as the Eiffel Chair, the DSR is now made of much more environmentally friendly recycled polypropylene. Apart from this change, the chairs are identical to the 1950 originals.
Joseph Froncioni
Comments