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OSP Home Furnishings Wood Banker's Desk Chair with Padded Seat, Adjustable Height and Locking Tilt, Carbon Steel Engineered Rubberwood Foam, Espresso Finish and Black Vinyl, NO Size

£164.995£329.99Clearance
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What a difference a decade makes! Charles Eames' early struggles with the molded plywood technology were all butconsigned to history following years of great effort and research, not to mention collaborative expertise from colleagues and peers. The war years had re-enforced Charles’ long held belief that the strengthened plywood could be something, and so it would be proven. With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles. Quite simply, an eames chair could be any chair, designed by the now legendary American mid-century designer Charles Eames. The reality however is that there are some, more than others, that profess to have created that reputation, let's explore in more details.

The Eames Lounge Chair elevated itself into design stardom and it didn’t take long to achieve. The early sales forecasts were blown away and the design became an instant hit. But what was it that created this desirability for a new design? Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more. Herman Miller acquired the full manufacturing rights from Zenith following their sale to 3M in 1955, providing for themselves the unlimited potential of realizing true mass production. They were able to manufacture the chairs in plants around the US, in Chicago, LA, Cincinnati and Michigan. This intervention was the single reason for the overwhelming success of the chair, production was multiplied by the thousands, new colors added to the range, fabrics and textiles would be available, new base types and installation possibilities brought in. Even as tastes changed into the 1970’s and 1980’s Herman Miller was still able to capitalize on commercial success through sales to hospitals, schools, businesses and government institutions.We can consider the hard work, determination and endeavour of those involved in the project as a factor, can't we? Yes of course, given the success, not only with this but for the entire duration of the Eames Office, I think it is safe to say it is a given! But commitment by an inventor or a designer is a must in any project and let’s be honest, this can also be present even in ones that ultimately fail. It takes more than that and we believe the stardust of the DCM comes down to a few things namely MOMA, Herman Miller, Timing and Styling. Let's find out more. As director of design at a changing Herman Miller, George Nelson held a great deal of sway and an enormous respect throughout the industry. He introduced the Miller bosses to the works of Charles Eames at the MOMA exhibition of the new plywood furniture. As if written in the stars, the marrying together of the endeavour of the product and design, the reluctance of the Evans Company and the interest by Herman Miller was near on perfect. Miller negotiated and agreed to be the sole and exclusive distributor for the range. This is likely the single most important factor in the success of the DCM, the range and the Eames Office as a whole. Herman Miller was an established furniture giant with showrooms in many major US cities and a marketing experience at the top end of the industry, happy days!

The centuries old saying ‘a face that launched a thousand ships’ may have originated from Greek mythology, but more contemporary uses of the phrase tend to be aimed at originators of work or models of beauty etc. It is the perfect phrase too for the Eames Lounge Chair because the ripple effect on the industry would be far and wide. Chairs modeled on the look and feel of the Lounger would begin appearing from furniture manufacturers the world over. Some would be loosely based on the design whilst others could be described as direct copies. It was a look that clearly resonated, that had high levels of desirability and this ‘extra copy market’ was testament to this. Make no mistake, Herman Miller was once again instrumental in the Fiberglass chairs becoming the phenomena they have. But unlike the struggles of the Evans company with the molded plywood, the chairs were initially being made and made well by Zenith Plastics, based in Los Angeles, California. Miller was once again initially utilized as the distributor, creating the advertising, the marketing and exclusively selling the pieces through their network of stores country wide. Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably. There would be lots to choose from let’s face it, the original Eames Office was turning out furniture designs for forty years after all. Of course, it goes without saying that what makes a chair an ‘Eames Chair’ goes a lot deeper than that. Here, we take a retrospective look at what made original ‘Eames Chairs’ quite so special and which ones stood head and shoulders over the rest in creating that reputation.The Eames’ earlier work had concentrated on providing value for money and fulfilling that need for post war conservatism. Here however was a chair meant for luxury and it was priced accordingly, after all it was not cheap to make with most elements being made by hand. Even by today's standards, the pricing may well be seen by many as ‘out of reach’ or at the very least ‘high value’. This however is exactly what created that extra dimension of desirability in the design. It was expensive, it was rare, an investment into your life, it was something to desire and strive for because it wasn’t (for many) easily available. And for those that could afford it, here was a status symbol, a new modernist statement of luxury to go alongside your motor car and expensive Swiss watch. It made perfect sense, as Herman Miller was a specialist in utilizing wood in furniture design, to use Zenith plastics as an advocate of this new fiberglass material. It also meant that Herman Miller didn’t have to put all the money in to fund the tooling, molds, research and development as Zenith would also contribute half towards the successful creation of the product.

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