Aluminium EA 105/107/108
The Aluminium Chair is one of the great furniture designs of the twentieth century. Charles and Ray Eames conceived and developed this chair in 1958 for the private residence of an art collector in Columbus, Indiana (USA). For its construction, the designer couple departed from the principle of the seat shell, instead stretching a panel of fabric or leather between two aluminium side members to create a taut but elastic seat. The chair adapts to the body of the sitter and is exceedingly comfortable, even without elaborate upholstery.
Vitra has produced the Aluminium Group chairs over a period of decades in the same superior quality. This experience allows us to offer a 30-year guarantee on all of the chair models in the Aluminium Group.
The Aluminium Group includes several different models for use in homes, offices and public spaces: the Aluminium Chairs EA 101/103/104 serve as ideal dining chairs, while the Aluminium Chairs EA 105/107/108 are primarily used for conference settings – however, all of these models can be used for either purpose. The Aluminium Chairs EA 115/116 and EA 124/125 represent two types of lounge chairs and the Aluminium Chairs EA 117/119 are the office swivel chairs in this large product family. Thanks to the wide variety of models and large selection of colours for fabric or leather upholstery, the perfect Aluminium Chair can be found for every environment.
About Designer | |
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Charles & Ray Eames |
Charles Eames, born 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri,
studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis and designed a
number of houses and churches in collaboration with various partners. His work
caught the attention of Eliel Saarinen, who offered him a fellowship at the
Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan in 1938. In 1940, he and Eero Saarinen won first prize in the 'Industrial Design Competition
for the 21 American Republics' - also known as 'Organic Design in Home
Furnishings' – organised by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Eames
was appointed head of the industrial design department at Cranbrook the same
year. Ray Eames was born as Bernice Alexandra Kaiser in
Sacramento, California, in 1912. She attended Bennett College in Millbrook, New
York, and continued her studies in painting at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine
Arts until 1937. During this year she exhibited her work in the first
exhibition of the American Abstract Artists group at the Riverside Museum in
New York. She matriculated at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1940. Charles and Ray Eames married in 1941 and moved to Los
Angeles, where together they began experimenting with techniques for the
three-dimensional moulding of plywood. The aim was to create comfortable chairs
that were affordable. However, the war interrupted their work, and Charles and
Ray turned instead to the design and development of leg splints made of
plywood, which were manufactured in large quantities for the US Navy. In 1946,
they exhibited their experimental furniture designs at MoMA. The Herman Miller
Company in Zeeland, Michigan, subsequently began to produce Eames furniture.
Charles and Ray participated in the 1948 'Low-Cost Furniture' competition at
MoMA, and they built the Eames House in 1949 as their own private residence. In
addition to their work in furniture design and architecture, they also regularly
turned their hand to graphic design, photography, film and exhibition design.
In 1957 Vitra signed a licence agreement with Herman
Miller and began producing the Eameses' designs for Europe and the Middle East.
Charles and Ray Eames have had a profound and lasting influence on Vitra. It
was the encounter with their work that spurred the company's beginnings as a
furniture manufacturer. Yet it is not just the products of Charles and Ray
Eames that have left a mark on Vitra. Even today, their design philosophy
continues to significantly shape the company's values, orientation and goals.
This seminal influence is most clearly reflected in
the question that is always asked at Vitra when making important design
decisions: What would Charles and Ray say? Over the course of their shared
lifetime, the couple gave their answers during trips to Europe and return
visits to California. Since the death of Charles (1978) and Ray (1988), Vitra
has remained in close contact with the Eames family, which now runs the Eames
Office, regarding all matters concerning the preservation, further development
and production of Eames designs. Vitra is the sole authorised manufacturer of
Eames products for Europe and the Middle East. When you own an Eames product
made by Vitra, you know it is an original. |