Anatomy of Iconic Eames Lounge Chair

Unveiled in 1956 by mid-century modern legends, Charles and Ray Eames, the Eames lounge chair has risen to the ranks of the most influential furniture pieces of the 20th century. Ray Eames may have once quipped to her husband that the chair looked “comfortable and un-designy,” but the Eames Lounger chair has since become so iconic that it sits among the few furniture pieces to have ever been officially trademarked. In the going-on seventy years since its creation, the Eames lounge chair has become the choice piece of design connoisseurs and CEOS, made dozens (if not hundreds) of cinematic cameos, and earned a permanent spot in the cultural zeitgeist.

When is a chair more than simply a piece of furniture? When it’s an iconic piece of American design? When it’s a status symbol? A hallmark of success, authority and good taste? The Eames Lounge Chair is all of these and on top of those lofty attributes, it’s cushy and comfortable to sit in as well.

The Eames, who met at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Detroit (the Mid-Century design think tank that turned out fellow style savants like Florence Knoll and Eero Saarinen), designed no shortage of cherished chairs during their careers. That said, upholstered seats are notably scarce in their catalog, making the Eames lounger all the more prolific. Decked out in sumptuous, leather cushions and a graceful ergonomic form, the Eames lounger chair was designed to be the epitome of luxury. Likewise, the Eames spared no expense on their namesake lounger. Original lounge chairs were crafted from no less than five layers of Brazilian rosewood—an exquisite material that’s scarcity halted production of the chair for a time when an embargo was placed on rosewood in 1992. Today, Eames lounge chairs are renowned for their unparalleled craftsmanship and patented design. Let’s explore exactly what makes this chair a highly coveted status symbol.

Watch as the chair is debuted on NBC’s “Home” show broadcast in 1956.  

Anatomy of an Eames Lounge Chair

The Eames lounge chair consists of three curved-plywood shells designed to cradle the body. The headrest, lumbar rest, and seat are all composed of separate shells filled with plush leather-upholstered cushions. Though the Eames lounger is simple in its makeup, it’s the overall quality of its construction and attention to detail that lends the chair its unwavering prestige.

Eames Chairs Made Of?

Cost-effectiveness was paramount to the majority of the Eames’s designs. Classic Eames chairs are molded from plastic, plywood, mesh, fiberglass, and aluminum. With their lounge chair, however, the Eames had different ambitions, and paid little mind to cost mitigation when choosing the materials. Only the most luxurious of leather, wood grains, and metals met the discerning quality standard of the Eames lounge chair.

The chair now comes in leather and sustainable wood combinations.

Leather and wood options: Upping the sophistication of this already timeless classic, the Eames lounge chair can be customized with four wood veneers and twenty leather choices. The plethora of choices leaves nearly unlimited room for designers and homeowners to add their own personal touch.

What Makes Eames Chairs So Comfortable?

The Eames lounge chair’s signature innovation is the patented “shock mounts.” Arguably the most critical contributing factors towards the chair’s legendary comfort, shocks are heavy rubber washers with nuts inside that are glued to the backrest of the chair and screwed into the lumbar support. This isolates various pieces of the chair and allows it to bend and flex slightly with the body (not unlike a rocking chair). This, combined with the signature Eames chair base, a five-legged, cast aluminum pedestal, creates a relaxing, weightless experience.

Additionally, Eames lounge chairs are covered with leather tufted with wide buttons—softening the leather so that it’s accommodating and compliant from the very first use. Last, but not least, the ottoman also plays a formidable role in the Eames lounge chair’s comfort score. After a long day of standing or sitting, propping one’s legs up on an ottoman is known to increase blood circulation from the legs to the torso.