Description

Eames lounge chair with ottoman, designed by the iconic duo Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. This timeless icon has been carefully restored to its first-generation glory, born March 5, 1957, in the United States. It features the signature 5-ply plywood construction, down-filled cushions, and coveted Rio Palisander veneer sourced from the highly sought-after Dalbergia nigra in Brazil, renowned as the most valuable wood in the world. This particular chair was directly acquired in Saint-Louis, Missouri, USA.

The restoration process of the veneer included stripping, bleaching, washing, scraping, sanding, and multi-layered oiling. A tension test was conducted on the shock mounts, which proved to be very stable. The rubber components of the vertical supports were replaced. All leather parts were washed, recolored, and nourished. The down filling was fluffed, tufting was reattached, and 2 back panels with zippers were replaced. All hardware underwent electrolytic cleaning and steaming, and the threads of the hardware were purified. All exposed aluminum parts were manually polished, and the bush in sintered bronze was replaced. The result is a breathtaking revival of the Eames lounge chair, with every detail lovingly restored to its original splendor.

The Eames lounge chair made its debut on March 14, 1956, on the renowned NBC program 'Home,' hosted by Arlene Francis. Notably, it was the first piece of furniture ever launched on national television and remains the only one to have stayed in continuous production to this day. Designed by Charles and Ray Eames, along with their close friend, the renowned film director Billy Wilder, the chair was envisioned with Wilder in mind. Interestingly, upon its initial presentation to Wilder, he simply fell asleep in the chair. Charles Eames consistently described his vision for the chair as wanting to impart the receptive appearance of a well-used baseball glove. The very first production in 1956 featured glove leather and a swiveling ottoman. However, when the chair entered serial production, the glove leather and swiveling ottoman were immediately discontinued due to customer complaints about children falling while spinning around.

GW3605