an eames primer by eames demetrois

I've had this book for a long time and decided to finally read and savor it. I enjoy all things Eames and am enjoying this read as it is the history of Charles Eames and Ray Kaiser, their meeting and marrying and their working together for many years. The book is written by their grandson Eames who is the director of the Eames Office in Santa Monica, CA. The book is nicely designed with lots of pictures and is printed on nice paper. All those things are a bonus and make reading it all the more enjoyable... What I am really finding interesting as I read this is that the Eameses were all about the process. And how one thing they made led to the next thing. For example their attempts at the plywood chair took them to the fiberglass chair. If you are a fan I think you would enjoy this book. Charles Eames (1907-78) and Ray Eames (1912-88) gave shape to America's twentieth century. Their lives and work represented the nation's defining social movements: the West Coast's coming-of-age, the economy's shift from making goods to the producing information, and the global expansion of American culture. The Eameses embraced the era's visionary concept of modern design as an agent of social change, elevating it to a national agenda. Their evolution from furniture designers to cultural ambassadors demonstrated their boundless talents and the overlap of their interests with those of their country. In a rare era of shared objectives, the Eameses partnered with the federal government and the country's top businesses to lead the charge to modernize postwar America.

Mid Century furniture was small because spaces were smaller. Since we needed new small furniture for our new small condo I splurged on 4 of these fiberglass chairs. They are both a pleasure to look at and to sit on. They even came with certificates of authenticity. An absolute delight. I really have a serious weakness for chairs.

If anyone is interested there is a link for the book on the right.