Style The style which Charles and Ray use, is one which perfectly fits into that of the modernist era, which is to create appeal (primarily aesthetic) by use of organic , simple, and yet geometric means , often using the function of the object, as its source of appeal. Examples of their style which can be seen in their products, are the use of natural or organic materials, especially wood due to the natural beauty its grains have to offer, use of “truth to materials” (hence the use of materials such as wood) meaning the majority of material used in construction will be exposed, extremely discrete use of block, or solid colours to help make the design further stand out, yet not overcloud the appeal of the uncoated materials, and also in some instances showing the “bare guts” of the object, centering them as the focal point of the design, and emphasising them as the main point of appeal.

Philosophy “The details are not the details, they make the design.” This said by Charles Eames, describing how the design as a whole and its function, comprised of all the little things, are what make it great, perfectly describes the philosophy which the Eames had during their career. This was to use new and innovative means to create something simple and classic, which still had both very strong senses of appeal, and yet at the same time, a function, which was easily identifiable and in complex. This strong philosophy which the Eames had throughout their career together was evident throughout just about all of their designs no matter what, and helped them to become the icons they are today.

Design Era Charles and Ray Eames, together living between the years of 1907 and 1988 were part of the modernist era of design culture. The modernist era in general spanned between the years just following the second world war, due to innovation war strangely has to offer towards design and fashion, up until almost present day. Elements of the modernist era could also be seen pre world war two intersecting the art deco era. The modernist era specifically surrounding furniture design, was all about simplicity, and yet beauty in design, products designed with modernist influences such as those of Charles and ray Eames, are largely geometrically shaped with a mixture of largely straight, but also some curved lines, which weren’t to heavy to look at. They often used techniques such as “truth to materials” in which the majority of materials the object was constructed with were left uncoated or finished, block colours, and also clever use of voids, such as underneath cabinets or chairs due to slender legs or supports.

The Chaise

Kleinhans Chair

Specific work Kleinhans Chair (1939): This being one of Charles Eames first real furniture designs with the Cranbrook Academy of art, was made in collaboration with a another designer of the era, Earo Saarinen. At the time, Earo Saarinen’s father, Elial, was head architect on the designing of the Kleinhans music hall , in Buffalo, New York, and so tasked these two with the designing of the seats and their arrangements, hence the name of this chair. Much research was done into the curved shape of this chair, which was constructed from moulded plywood, and the outcome was something very true to the modernist era, a simple design with great amounts of both form and function, the use of simple shape and colours, and of course the inclusion of “truth to materials”, especially in the chairs framework. The Chaise (1948) By the year 1948, due to the huge amount of resources being provided to arms production, and the large scale of refugees returning from WW2, America was in huge shortage of housing, but as well as this, “low cost, space saving furniture.” In realisation to this, an American association hosted an international design competition, for people to design this type of furniture. Although The Chaise was not one of the Eames’s winning designs, out of the 3000 international entries submitted, it was thought to be one of the most influential. Its simple modernist lines, consisting of clean, neutral colours, (once again) “truth to materials”, simplicity, and clever use of dimensions, to allow the product to appear more spacious, whilst saving space, is a classic Eames product, and one which is very true to modernist culture.

• Influenced BY: Out of all the modernist designers who came before Charles and Ray Eames, the two who inspired and influenced their work the greatest, not only because they were so influential in architecture, but also in many other areas of design including that of furniture, is Mies van der Rohe, and Frank Wright .

Mies Van Der Rohe: Born 1886 and passing away in 1969, Mies had a great influence on Charles and Ray, specifically in the types of new materials they used, such as leather and aluminum and also In the new ways they constructed their products. If you were to take for example Charles and Ray’s three passenger sofa, which was designed in 1964 and compare it Mies’s extremely iconic Barcelona chair which was designed in 1929, you’d find that they are eerily similar in the way that the both obviously have modernist influences, as can be seen by the use of simple silhouettes, neutral colors, and of course the use of “truth to materials” but as well as this that they both as mentioned earlier have similar methods of construction, in which both the back and seat rest of the sofa, are separate pieces which are held in place by an elegant aluminum frame. The use of this type of simple, aluminum framework to support the rest of piece of furniture would later be used in many on of Charles and rays other designs, including their iconic 1965 473 sofa compact.

Frank Wright: Alive from1867 until 1959, was also a massive influence towards the Eames’s career in design, but unlike Mies Van Der Rohe, had

more to do with encouraging Charles and Ray to incorporate interesting concepts into their designs, such as “making the

function of the design part of its beauty” but more than anything else using “truth to materials.” This could be especially well seen in the Eames's designs which used predominantly wood within their construction, such as in their LCW of 1946. This product in particular, is easily comparable to Frank Wrights Peacock chair from 1921 because, although both feature completely different

geometries, they both have a strong use of uncoated natural materials, representing truth to materials, and as well as this a

silhouette which appears delicate and dainty yet is known by us to be strong, sturdy and reliable.

3 Passenger Sofa Barcalona Chair Peacock Chair LCW

• Bibliography:

• http://www.karakter.co.nz/designers/designers/charles-and-ray-eames/

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_and_Ray_Eames

• http://www.eamesdesigns.com

• http://www.designmuseum.de

• http://www.eameshouse250.org/timeline.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Mies_van_der_Rohe

Impact on society: The work which Charles and ray Eames produced over their long lasting career, especially in furniture design has had a massive impact on society, specifically in a way that completely changed the viewpoint people had, on furniture, and design as a whole in fact, in post war America at the time. This was the Eameses dream all along, “to modernize post war America” and change the way people interpreted design in that era. This was successfully carried out by Charles and Ray , by producing designs that were very different from the norm, and the conventional type of furnishings which people expected at the time, using new and interesting, yet simplistic forms, neutral yet attractive colors, and of course new design ideas such as making “smaller seem larger”, and “truth to materials” which still inspires modern designers today. Another part of Charles and Ray’s philosophy which has greatly impacted society, even up until present, is the innovativeness incorporated into their designs, using at the time completely new and unthought-of construction materials and methods, such as molded ply wood, multi layer fiber glass, and smaller tubular aluminum legs all in an affordable package, many of which are still very much used in furniture design, even at modern day standards. This all just goes to show the amount of research that must have gone into their designs, and the great impact they’ve produced on even modern day society.