Charles & Ray Eames, Lobby Chair for Herman Miller

CHARLES EAMES (U.S., 1907–1978) & RAY EAMES (U.S., 1912–1988) for Herman Miller.
Lobby chair, model ES-105. Designed in 1960.
Seat, armrest and back newly upholstery in cognac Vacona aniline leather, swivel base, frame in chrome aluminum.
Signs of wear considering the age on the base, the leather is brand new.
Produced at Herman Miller.
Measurements: 77 x 75 x 70 cm, seat high 44.

Conceived in 1960 for the lobbies of the Time-Life Building in New York, the Lobby Chair—also historically known as the Time-Life Chair—was born from a commission given to Charles and Ray Eames for the company’s new building. The designers sought to create a chair with more compact dimensions than their famous Lounge Chair, yet one capable of providing a high degree of comfort and meeting the demands of a corporate reception area.

Charles and Ray Eames, a married couple and artistic partners, worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, the fine arts, and film, and are responsible for numerous designs that have become 20th-century classics. Charles Eames studied architecture for two years at the University of Washington, after which he began his career working in a studio on residential housing projects. In 1938, he moved to Cranbrook, Michigan, to continue studying architecture and design at the city’s Academy of Art. He would eventually teach there, heading the industrial design department. Together with Eero Saarinen—the son of his mentor Eliel Saarinen—he designed the trophy for the Organic Design Award, presented by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1941, after divorcing his first wife, he married his colleague at Cranbrook, Ray Kaiser. Together they settled in Los Angeles, where they would remain for the rest of their lives. In the late 1940s, Ray and Charles designed their home together, known as the “Eames House,” which is today considered a masterpiece of modern architecture. In the 1950s, the couple continued to work in architecture and furniture design, pioneering the use of new techniques and materials such as fiberglass and plastic resin in the manufacture of chairs. Their work is currently represented at the Design Museum in London and the MoMA in New York, among many other institutions.