Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller DCW Dining Chairs, 1950s Set of 2
View Similar Items
Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller DCW Dining Chairs, 1950s Set of 2
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 28.75 in (73 cm)Width: 19.3 in (49 cm)Depth: 21.66 in (55 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Repaired: Repair to the front seat of one chair. Additional repairs under the seats (filling cracks). Wear consistent with age and use. General marks and scratches with some chips around the edges of the ply. One chair has a repair on the seat and the other has a chip on the backrest.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: DC000361stDibs: LU4510223799412
Eames DCW Chair
Although their ubiquitous leather lounge might be more recognizable, there’s arguably no chair that better embodies the design ethos of Charles and Ray Eames (1907–78; 1912–88) than the DCW dining chair. It was introduced at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art in a 1946 exhibition titled “New Furniture Designed by Charles Eames.” (Ray was notably absent from the exhibition title, despite being a full collaborator on the work.)
In its design, construction and manufacturing, the DCW is pure Eames. It was born of functionality and comfort, crafted in a shape that the ever-inquisitive Eameses decided would provide optimal support for a large number of people. “We found that comfort depended more on the perfect molding to the body shape than it did on the way the bone structure was supported,” Charles noted in a 1954 film on the piece. “If the structure was supported properly, the hard and rigid material, like molded plywood, can provide a remarkably high degree of comfort.”
This proper support is the result of the chair’s five distinct parts: a pair of two-legged bases, a bentwood seat, a bentwood back and a long piece of bentwood that connects each of these. Such construction allows for a certain flexibility in movement between the seat and the back without requiring any type of complicated adjustment mechanism.
The Eameses developed the DCW while tinkering with the “Kazam! Machine,” a mechanism they invented to press and mold wood veneer. In their Los Angeles apartment, the couple would place a sheet of wood veneer into the machine, then top it with a layer of glue. After repeating these steps 5 to 11 times and ensuring the layers were set in place, the Kazam! Machine was clamped shut and a bicycle pump inflated a balloon to press the layers into their molded shape. Charles and Ray then cut the mold and sanded each finished shape by hand.
The Kazam! Machine was a direct result of Charles and Ray’s determination to conceive an efficient, inexpensive means of production. Plywood, too, was a significant choice. Not unlike the molded plastic with which the Eameses would experiment, plywood was relatively cheap and easily available, rendering it optimal for the kind of democratic design the couple championed.
The Eames DCW chair has appeared (and continues to appear) in interiors by top designers all over the world. Today, it remains a top seller for Herman Miller — with equal credit given to Charles and Ray.
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Eames and Ray Eames were the embodiment of the inventiveness, energy and optimism at the heart of mid-century modern American design, and have been recognized as the most influential designers of the 20th century.
As furniture designers, filmmakers, artists, textile and graphic designers and even toy and puzzle makers, the Eameses were a visionary and effective force for the notion that design should be an agent of positive change. They are the happy, ever-curious, ever-adventurous faces of modernism.
Charles (1907–78) studied architecture and industrial design. Ray (née Beatrice Alexandra Kaiser, 1912–88) was an artist, who studied under the Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. They met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit (the legendary institution where Charles also met his frequent collaborator Eero Saarinen and the artist and designer Harry Bertoia) and married the next year.
His technical skills and her artistic flair were wonderfully complementary. They moved to Los Angeles in 1941, where Charles worked on set design for MGM. In the evenings at their apartment, they experimented with molded plywood using a handmade heat-and-pressurization device they called the “Kazam!” machine. The next year, they won a contract from the U.S. Navy for lightweight plywood leg splints for wounded servicemen — they are coveted collectibles today; more so those that Ray used to make sculptures.
The Navy contract allowed Charles to open a professional studio, and the attention-grabbing plywood furniture the firm produced prompted George Nelson, the director of design of the furniture-maker Herman Miller Inc., to enlist Charles and (by association, if not by contract) Ray in 1946. Some of the first Eames items to emerge from Herman Miller are now classics: the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, and the DCM, or Dining Chair Metal, supported by tubular steel.
The Eameses eagerly embraced new technology and materials, and one of their peculiar talents was to imbue their supremely modern design with references to folk traditions. Their Wire chair group of the 1950s, for example, was inspired by basket weaving techniques. The populist notion of “good design for all” drove their molded fiberglass chair series that same decade, and also produced the organic-form, ever-delightful La Chaise. In 1956 the Eames lounge chair and ottoman appeared — the supremely comfortable plywood-base-and-leather-upholstery creation that will likely live in homes as long as there are people with good taste and sense.
Charles Eames once said, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” For very good collectors and thoughtful interior designers, a piece of design by the Eameses, the closer produced to original conception the better, is almost de rigueur — for its beauty and comfort, and not least as a tribute to the creative legacy and enduring influence of Charles and Ray Eames.
The collection of original Eames furniture on 1stDibs includes chairs, tables, case pieces and other items.
- Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Plywood DCW Dining Chairs, 1950s Set of 2By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in London, GBThe DCW chair was originally released in 1946, with Herman Miller taking over the manufacture of the chairs in 1950. This lasted until 1953 when the chairs were taken out of producti...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPlywood
- Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Red & Black DCW Armchair, 2004By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in London, GBThe DCW chair was originally released in 1946, with Herman Miller taking over the manufacture of the chairs in 1950. This lasted until 1953 when the chairs were taken out of producti...Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsPlywood
- David Thulstrup for Møbel Copenhagen Font Dining Chairs, Set of 8By DedarLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by David Thulstrup for Møbel Copenhagen, the Font dining chair is a fantastic example of contemporary Danish design. Constructed from a steel frame in a matte wh...Category
2010s Danish Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Dyrlund Teak & Fabric Dining Chairs, Set of 4By DyrlundLocated in London, GBA fantastic example of midcentury Danish design, this set of chairs was manufactured by Dyrlund. Constructed from teak frames with softly curved armrests and cylindrical legs, the...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak, Fabric
$2,381 / set - Marcel Wanders for Moooi Zio Wenge Oak Dining Chairs, Set of 8By MARCEL WANDERS, MoooiLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Marcel Wanders for Moooi in 2013, the Zio range exudes classic elegance. Constructed from wenge stained oak frames, the dining chairs feature tapered legs and a rounded back rest. The separate seat and back cushions are upholstered in an indigo Oray Ray linen mix fabric offering additional comfort. The organic curves perfectly balance the sleek lines, making the chairs timeless...Category
2010s Dutch Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Rodolfo Dordoni for Arper Corte Grey Leather Dining Chairs, Set of 8By Rodolfo Dordoni, ArperLocated in London, GBDesigned by Rodolfo Dordoni and manufactured by Arper, the Corte dining chair is a fantastic example of modern Italian design. The slimline steel frame is padded with foam allowing ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Pair early DCW Dining Chair in black by Charles & Ray Eames, Herman Miller 1950sBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames, Charles EamesLocated in Vorst, BEDCW (Dining Chair Wood) chair created by Charles and Ray Eames around 1945. These are second generation chairs produced by Herman Miller USA between 1950 and 1953 (the production of...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWalnut, Plywood
- Two Charles and Ray Eames Herman Miller DCW chairsBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Ferndale, MITwo Herman Miller DCW ( dining chair wood ) chairs . From the Charles and Ray Eames office design studio . Both chairs are Walnut finish . They are priced individually . Estate fresh...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPlywood
$1,800 / item - Dcw Dining Chairs Ash by Charles & Ray Eames for Evans / Herman Miller, 1940sBy Evans Products Company, Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames, Charles EamesLocated in Vorst, BEDCW (dining chair wood) chairs In ash veneer. First generation chairs produced by Evans Products Company and distributed by Herman Miller between 19...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAsh, Plywood
- 1950, Ray & Charles Eames for Herman Miller Set DSS Fiberglass Stacking ChairsBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis chair is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beac...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- DCW Dining Chair by Charles Eames for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles EamesLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn early, Mid-Century Modern oak 'DCW' dining chair designed by Charles Eames with a double shock-mount to the backrest. Manufactured by Herman Miller in the USA, circa 1950s.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
$2,100 / item - Set of Two Eames DCW Lounge Chairs in Walnut for Herman Miller, USA, 1950sBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Berlin, DESet of two Eames DCWlounge chairs in walnut for Herman Miller, USA. The DCW chair, also known as the dining chair wood, is a modernist furniture design created by the husband-and-wif...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.