Eames Office
Eames Office
Est. 1941
About
The Eames Office traces its origins to 1941, the year Charles Eames and Ray Eames (born Ray Kaiser) married, moved to Los Angeles and began working together. Charles was trained in architecture, while Ray came from a background in painting and visual art, and their partnership joined those disciplines across furniture, architecture, exhibitions, graphics, photography and film. In 1943 the studio settled into a building at 901 Washington Boulevard in Venice, California, a space known simply as "901" that housed the office for roughly four decades. The Eames Office functioned as a multidisciplinary studio rather than a single-product workshop. Within it, the Eameses and their collaborators developed moulded plywood and fibreglass techniques, designed the Eames House (Case Study House No. 8), produced exhibitions and made films such as "Powers of Ten." Their furniture became central to mid-century modern design, valued for combining industrial production methods with comfort and accessible form. Charles Eames died in 1978 and Ray Eames in 1988, ten years to the day later. Today the studio continues as Eames Office LLC, led by the Eames family. Eames Demetrios, a grandson of Charles and Ray Eames, has served as Director since 1988. In its current form, the Eames Office concentrates on communicating, preserving and extending the work of Charles and Ray Eames. This includes authenticating designs, supporting exhibitions and publications, licensing imagery and maintaining the historical record of the office. It is important to note what the organisation is and is not: Eames Office LLC is a steward of a design legacy and is not itself a furniture factory. Authentic Eames furniture is manufactured under licence. Herman Miller is the authorised manufacturer for the Americas and most markets, having begun working with the Eames Office in 1946, while Vitra is the authorised manufacturer for Europe and the Middle East, a relationship dating to the 1950s. Both companies produce the designs to the original specifications and also contribute to preserving the Eames legacy. Pieces sold outside these licensed channels, or marketed as "Eames-style," are not authentic Eames furniture. Several Eames designs remain reference points in mid-century modern design. The Moulded Plywood Chair (LCW), introduced in 1945, used compound-curved plywood to form a low chair from a small number of shaped parts. La Chaise, developed in 1948 for a Museum of Modern Art low-cost furniture competition, is a sculptural fibreglass-shell lounge whose flowing form contrasts with the couple's more utilitarian work. The moulded plastic and fibreglass shell chairs of 1948 to 1950, sold under codes such as DSW and DSR, paired a single seat shell with interchangeable bases and brought moulded seating into wide production. The design most often identified with the office is the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman of 1956, which combined moulded plywood shells with leather upholstery to create a high-end lounge chair intended to evoke a worn baseball glove. The Aluminum Group, designed in 1958, used a cast-aluminium frame for indoor and outdoor seating and remains a staple of contemporary offices. The Eames Elephant, first made in moulded plywood in 1945 and later reissued in plastic, reflects the playful side of the office's output. For an audience searching for Eames furniture, the key distinction is structural. The names, drawings and creative direction originate with Charles and Ray Eames and are stewarded by Eames Office LLC, while the physical chairs, tables and storage pieces are produced by Herman Miller and Vitra under licence. This separation between a design-legacy office and its licensed manufacturers explains why authentic Eames pieces are bought through those companies and their authorised retailers rather than from the Eames Office itself.
Resources
Common Questions
The Eames Office is based in the Los Angeles area of California, the region where Charles and Ray Eames lived and worked. Its historic studio, known as "901," stood at 901 Washington Boulevard in Venice, California, and served as the studio's home for nearly four decades.
The Eames Office was established in 1941 by Charles Eames and Ray Eames, who married and moved to Los Angeles that year. In 1943 the studio moved into its long-time Venice location at 901 Washington Boulevard. The 1941 date marks the founding of the office, while 1943 marks the move to the well-known "901" studio.
The Eames Office is known for a body of mid-century modern work spanning furniture, architecture, exhibitions and film. In furniture it is associated with the moulded plywood and fibreglass chairs, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, and the Aluminum Group. It is also known for the Eames House and the film "Powers of Ten."
The Eames Office continues today as Eames Office LLC, led by the Eames family, with Eames Demetrios, a grandson of Charles and Ray Eames, serving as Director. Eames Office LLC preserves, authenticates and communicates the Eames legacy and does not manufacture furniture. Authentic Eames furniture is produced under licence by Herman Miller for the Americas and most markets and by Vitra for Europe and the Middle East.
Authentic Eames furniture is made by Herman Miller and Vitra under licence and is sold through those companies and their authorised retailers. Pieces sold elsewhere as "Eames-style" are not authentic Eames designs. furniture.directory is an independent directory and does not sell furniture directly.
An authentic Eames chair is produced by a licensed manufacturer, meaning Herman Miller in the Americas and most markets or Vitra in Europe and the Middle East, and typically carries the maker's labelling and documentation. Buyers can confirm authenticity by purchasing through these manufacturers or their authorised retailers and by checking the manufacturer markings rather than relying on "Eames-style" descriptions. The Eames Office also publishes guidance on authenticity and authorised furniture partners.