If you want to bring a vintage touch to your home decor, Eames chairs are the perfect furniture for that. Their particular shapes and designs will bring a touch of originality to your interior.

Summary

• Who are the Eames couple?
• Why buy Eames chairs?
• How to recognize an Eames chair?
• Where to buy your chairs?

Who are the Eames couple?

Ray Eames met her husband Charles Eames in 1940. They married a year later, in 1941. It was following their marriage that they began their professional collaboration with a philosophy of functionality and creativity.

Charles Eames is an architect by training. He initially interrupted his training to open a practice before resuming it in 1938 at the Cranbrook Academy of Arts, where he ended up teaching industrial design. It is in this academy that he will meet a student: Ray.

Seduced by the couple's work, the Herman Miller Furniture Company will buy the production rights from them. From 1966, the chair distribution network had 150 representatives in America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East... The network continued to grow in France in the mid-1980s.

The Eames couple are considered today as the most influential designers of the last century. This is thanks to the revolutionary vision of the shapes imagined by the designers as well as the materials used. Many young contemporary designers are still inspired by it today.

Why buy Eames chairs?

The chairs designed by the couple Charles and Ray Eames are made from fiberglass and not polypropylene or plastic like recent productions.

The advantage of fiberglass is that it is a strong, robust, durable and long-lasting material. Over time, it is difficult, if not impossible, for the material to degrade or scratch. Unlike plastic chairs , which over time end up deteriorating.

Eames chair, here

Aesthetically, the fiberglass used to design Eames chairs makes a real difference. This is thanks to its transparency, light and its shiny and deep appearance.

The Eames couple's design philosophy is creativity and functionality.

Indeed, over time, apart from the fact that the chair is difficult to break, it should be noted that it does not bend or deform when you sit in it. This allows you to maintain the original comfort.

How to recognize an Eames chair?

Due to their success, Eames chairs are very often copied. Copies offered by unscrupulous sellers are of poor quality when compared to original or semi-original Eames chairs .

Most of the time, if you want to know if the chair is original, the price should concern you. A copy is sold between 50 and 150 euros. You will have understood, if the price is so low, it is a copy.

Other criteria to take into account:

• The visibility of the fiber in the hull. You should know that for the first editions, the shell had a high fiber density. If you are in front of an original Eames chair , you will see the fiber branches clearly.
• The color of the hull. There are only 27 colors put on the market by the Eames couple. You have to be a connoisseur to spot all these colors or you have to ask a specialist to avoid falling into the trap.
• The brand is engraved under the seat. It can also be a label. This element may have disappeared over time. But if it is present, it will provide you with valuable information on the origin and period of the chair precisely.

Where to buy your Eames chairs?

Before purchasing an Eames chair , you should know that on the market, you will find four types of chairs. You need to know them well before making a purchase:

• Copy or counterfeit. This is an unofficial reproduction of the item.
• The Eames chair which was reissued by Herman Miller or Modernica in the United States and Vitra in Europe.
• The semi-original chair which has an original shell, but a new base.
• The original chair is 100% and vintage. Everything is original, whether it is the shell, the base or the screws.

AtThe Woods you can purchase original or semi-original Eames chairs.

Regarding prices, they vary depending on the models.

• With 150 euros you can buy a DSX and a DSS .
• Between 600 and 900 euros for a DSW with wooden base.
• Between 600 euros and 1200 euros for a DAW .
• For a PAW, Post Zénith edition you need to count between 1800 euros and 3000 euros.
• For the iconic RAR model , for a Zenith, you need to count between 3500 euros and 9000 euros.

For a Post Zénith between 3500 and 6000 euros, for a Herman Miller between 900 and 2000 euros and finally between 800 and 1300 euros for a Vitra from the 80s .

You can also buy them online here

In summary

• The Eames brand was born following the marriage of Charles and Ray Eames . It took off thanks to the Herman Miller Furniture Company which bought the production rights.
• Eames brand chairs are popular in the market because they are strong, sturdy and durable.
• To recognize an original Eames chair, you must pay attention to three criteria: the presence of fiberglass, the color and check if the chair has a label . To these three criteria, we must add the price.
• On the market you can find original chairs , semi-originals or reissued versions. The price varies depending on the type of chairs and its condition.