The Most Iconic Mid-Century Chair: The Wire Chair by Charles Eames
After the Molded Fiberglass and Plywood chairs, Charles and Ray Eames designed the Wire Chair. A product that could look like the previous successful chairs but that needed a completely different production technology: a new Mid-Century design icon was born.
The main characteristic of the Wire chair is its transparency that combined with its sculptural quality made it a rare object for the postwar furniture design. Even though Charles and Ray always considered the influence of fine art as secondary to the industrial processes, in this case the artistic value of the object is amazingly combined with its industrial process to achieve iconic status. The combination between the artistic side of Ray and the engineering sensibility of Charles is probably the secret behind this object.
The Wire Chair falls within a series of wire-based designs and is closely related to earlier fibreglass side-chairs, such as the DAR (1948) and the DSR (1950). Although its outline is almost identical to the shell of the DSR and other models from this range, the wire Chair is characterized by quite a different technology. The Wire Chair is symbolic of the success of the couple's design philosophy.
Although the chair form is comfortable without the need of any upholstery, it was designed to have some seat and back-pads in different patterns and materials; from fabric to leather. like the molded fiberglass chairs series, also the Wire can be arranged with different bases, the most iconic and sculptural of which is the 'Eiffel Tower' ones which creates a dramatic vision of fine cross-hatching of chrome or black steel.
Beyond the previous Eameses chairs series, the Wire's design also remembers the Harry Bertoia's Diamond chair for Knoll. Although there's still some debate about it, the first American mechanical patent was assigned to the Eameses design.
The importance of Charles and Ray Eames in the postwar American design history, comes from their philosophy and effort to industrially produce furniture and seats at the lowest price possible. They applied postwar technologies to the furniture industry to create mass-producible, unique and original designs. Thanks to their vision, Herman Miller become the world leader in the production of home and office furniture. The Wire chair showed to be an instant success during the mid-century as today.
The main characteristic of the Wire chair is its transparency that combined with its sculptural quality made it a rare object for the postwar furniture design. Even though Charles and Ray always considered the influence of fine art as secondary to the industrial processes, in this case the artistic value of the object is amazingly combined with its industrial process to achieve iconic status. The combination between the artistic side of Ray and the engineering sensibility of Charles is probably the secret behind this object.
The Wire Chair falls within a series of wire-based designs and is closely related to earlier fibreglass side-chairs, such as the DAR (1948) and the DSR (1950). Although its outline is almost identical to the shell of the DSR and other models from this range, the wire Chair is characterized by quite a different technology. The Wire Chair is symbolic of the success of the couple's design philosophy.
Although the chair form is comfortable without the need of any upholstery, it was designed to have some seat and back-pads in different patterns and materials; from fabric to leather. like the molded fiberglass chairs series, also the Wire can be arranged with different bases, the most iconic and sculptural of which is the 'Eiffel Tower' ones which creates a dramatic vision of fine cross-hatching of chrome or black steel.
Beyond the previous Eameses chairs series, the Wire's design also remembers the Harry Bertoia's Diamond chair for Knoll. Although there's still some debate about it, the first American mechanical patent was assigned to the Eameses design.
The importance of Charles and Ray Eames in the postwar American design history, comes from their philosophy and effort to industrially produce furniture and seats at the lowest price possible. They applied postwar technologies to the furniture industry to create mass-producible, unique and original designs. Thanks to their vision, Herman Miller become the world leader in the production of home and office furniture. The Wire chair showed to be an instant success during the mid-century as today.
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Mid-Century has been one of the most creative age for design that influenced the interior decors of the last decades. To discover everything about it, check Mid Century Home now!
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