There were many iconic men in the 20th century but, truth be told, few could hold a candle to Charles Eames. This brilliant mind and devilishly dapper chap was one of the 20th century’s most celebrated design icons, and he was responsible for creating some of the most eye-catching, popular and iconic pieces of designer furniture of the last 100 years.
Eames was born in St. Louis in 1907 and went on to become one of the driving forces behind the modernist movements in furniture design – effectively taking it out of the mundane doldrums and breathing new and much needed life into it. His inventive approach to furniture design really advanced the industry and changed the way in which people approached design. The superbly successful Eames DSW Chair, for example, was the first industrially manufactured plastic chair of its type when he first released it in 1948, and this is testament to the sort of forward thinking for which Eames was famed.
DSW ABS Plastic ChairCharles Eames was also a supremely stylish chap, regular seen rocking the bow-tie, and he was an incredibly effusive character who really invigorated the stagnating industry of furniture design. He, alongside his fellow contemporaries at the time – the likes of Bertoia and George Nelson – even appeared in a copy of Playboy Magazine to champion the cause of design and cement their dapper and iconic status in the 20th century. You can see this appearance below:
Photo: Charles EamesEames is, without question, one of the 20th century’s coolest cats and he was responsible for many of the pieces of designer furniture that we use in our homes to this day – a fact that really showcases how far ahead of his time he was as a designer he was considering the vast majority of his pieces were first released well over half a century ago.
You can see more of Charles Eames most famous pieces of furniture HERE.