Art of Play - Wonder by Design

Eames

Eames - Main image
$10 $20 In stock

Category: Architecture

The creative duo Charles Eames (1907–1978) and Ray Kaiser Eames (1912–1988) transformed the visual character of America. Though best known for their furniture, the husband and wife team were also forerunners in architecture, textile design, photography, and film. The Eameses’ work defined a new, multifunctional modernity, exemplary for its integration of craft and design, as well as for the use of modern materials, notably plywood and plastics.

The Eames Lounge Chair Wood, designed with molded plywood technology, became a defining furniture piece of the 20th century, while the couple’s contribution to the Case Study Houses project not only made inventive use of industrial materials but also developed an adaptable floor plan of multipurpose spaces which would become a hallmark of postwar modern architecture.

From the couple’s earliest furniture experiments to their seminal short film Powers of Ten, this book covers all the aspects of the illustrious Eames repertoire and its revolutionary impact on middle-class American living.

Written by Gloria Koenig and edited by Peter Gössel.

Customer Reviews (4.6 / 5 · 5 reviews)

Mia T. ★★★★★

The photography and layout do justice to the duo's range, especially the sections on their lesser-known architectural sketches. I've spent hours flipping back to the chapters on Ray's contributions, which most histories gloss over.

Owen G. ★★★★★

The way this book traces how they shifted from furniture into broader visual design—film, exhibitions, even corporate identity—keeps pulling me forward. The chapters on their collaborative process feel almost like you're in the studio with them, and the archival photos are a genuine bonus.

Ruby L. ★★★★★

I’m only a third of the way through, but the way it frames the Eameses as shapers of America’s visual culture rather than just chair designers has already changed how I look at postwar design. The photography and layout feel as carefully considered as their own work, which makes flipping through it