Design Classic – Influential and important design
RAR (Rocking Armchair Rod)
- Designer: Charles Eames (1907–1978, American) & Ray Eames (1912–1988, American)
- Material: fiberglass-reinforced polyester, wood & metal
- Manufacturer: Herman Miller Furniture Co. (1923–present), Zeeland, MI
The RAR was designed by Charles and Ray Eames to be manufactured of metal before being sprayed with neoprene (a synthetic rubber) to make it more comfortable. However, by the time the chair could be manufactured, Herman Miller had developed the technique to build the seat out of polyester bonded with fibreglass strands. The use of fibreglass for furniture was a unique and creative concept. Initially, it was only available in grey, parchment, or a grey-beige colour, but it was soon expanded to include a wide range of vivid colours. Purple is the rarest of the Eames rocking chair hues, according to some experts.
Sources
Rocking armchair by Charles and Ray Eames. Kirkland Museum. (2021, September 3). Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://www.kirklandmuseum.org/collections/work/eames-rar/.
More Chair Design
-
Eames chair is 66 years old
B.Billy Wilder, the filmmaker, got the first one. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India alsoRead More →
-
Francis Jourdain (1876 – 1958) – painter, interior designer, ceramicist
Francis Jourdain (1876 – 1958), the son of architect Frantz Jourdain, was born on November 2, 1876. His father created the Salon d’Automne collection. He benefited from his parents’ friendships with prominent intellectuals (Émile Zola, Alphonse Daudet) and artists of the time (the circle of Alexandre Charpentier). Read More →
-
Ernest Race (1913 – 1964) British furniture and industrial designer
Ernest Race (1913 – 1964) was a British furniture and industrial designer. He was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Between 1932-35, he studied interior design at the Bartlett School of Architecture of London University and 1937-39, weaving in India. Read More →
-
Konstantin Grcic Unveils – CUP Chair For Plank | 🇩🇪 German Design
For travellers, the benefits of plastic shell suitcases have come to be appreciated. They are extremely light and flexible, yet powerful and good looking. Suitcases made of thin vacuum-formed plastic sheets have completely transformed the product category. As a designer of the furniture, Konstantin Grcic was surprised by this ingenuity and the suitability of the modern chair covers for production and performance. Read More →
-
René-André Coulon (1908 – 1997) furniture with tempered glass
René-André Coulon was a furniture designer from France. He did architectural studies until 1937. In his work, Coulon integrated tempered glass, some of which Hagnauer, Vienna, made. He designed the interior furniture of Adnet for Saint-Gobain.Read More →
-
Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976) Finnish Architect, town planner and designer of furniture
Aalto was considered a hero in Finland. He was responsible for much planning and construction following the end of the war between Finland and the soviet union in 1944.Read More →
-
Emeco and Naoto Fukasawa introduce “Za”
The name “Za” was chosen by Naoto Fukasawa, an industrial designer from Tokyo, and it means “a place to sit” in Japanese. It is a term that alludes to the multi-functionality of a simple stool that can be used anywhere, indoors and outdoors, an object that people will intuitively choose to sit on.Read More →
-
Tulip Armchair by Eero Saarinen (1957)
Saarinen faced the problem of trying to treat the leg structurally and visually as part of the reinforced-plastic moulded seat shell with the help of a research team from the Knoll firm led by Donald Petit. This issue had plagued him since he and Charles Eames conducted their first experiments with moulded seat shells.Read More →
-
Ro Chair designed by Jamie Hayon
The pressure-cast aluminium legs and the transition to the shell followed the same process to create an elegant and natural unit that ensures that from all angles, Ro is beautiful and elegant. To make the chair more colourful and tactile, a mixture of different textiles were also used in addition to the shell’s form – one for the shell and one for the cushions.Read More →
-
Bloemenwerf Side Chair (1895) designed by Henry de Velde
Bloemenwerf, Henry Van de Velde’s property outside Brussels, is the inspiration for this chair. Van de Velde planned and built the house and the interior—from the furniture to the wallpaper—resulting in a holistic design that exemplified the concept of a Gesamtkunstwerk “total work of art”. Read More →
-
Thomas Molesworth (1890 – 1977) an American furniture designer
Molesworth ranch style furniture has inspired contemporary Western furniture designers such as Jim Covert, Jeff Morris and Marc Tagesger with its large brass pads, Native American motifs and wildfire imagery.Read More →
-
Handlebar Table (1982) by Jasper Morrison
The Handlebar Table (1982) was a table with aluminium handlebars, chrome steel connectors, beechwood support and plate glass top.Read More →
-
Chair No.14, 1855 by Michael Thonet
Bentwood furniture was not invented by Michael Thonet (1798-1871), but he perfected a method for mass production. In 1819, in Boppard, Germany, he opened his cabinetmaking business, and by 1840 he had invented the steam-softening technique for bending rods of hardwood into flowing yet structurally solid shapes. There are just six sections and screws in his all-time classic, Model No.14. Read More →
-
Carlo Bugatti (1855-1940) Italian designer and furniture maker
Carlo Bugatti was a leading figure in Italy’s design and decorative arts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Bugatti is perhaps best known for his exotic, handmade furniture designs. Many of the 19th century’s progressive developments, notably the British Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau, influenced his work. Read More →
-
Dino Gavina (1922 – 2007) Italian Furniture Entrepreneur
He founded the firm Gavina in Foligno in 1960 as a subsidiary of his Dino Gavina company. Architect-designer Carlo Scarpa was appointed its titular president. The designs of Franco Albini and the earlier 1920s models of Marcel Breuer were reproduced. Breuer’s 1928 B32 chair, renamed Cesca (after Breuer’s daughter Francesca), became highly successful in mass production and was followed by the reissue of the 1925 Wassily chair, 1924 Laccio tables, 1935 bentwood chaise, and 1955 Canaan desk.Read More →
-
Rocking Armchair Rod (RAR) by Ray Eames
The RAR was designed by Charles and Ray Eames to be manufactured of metal before being sprayed with neoprene (a synthetic rubber) to make it more comfortable. However, by the time the chair could be manufactured, Herman Miller had developed the technique to build the seat out of polyester bonded with fibreglass strands. Read More →
-
Ray Eames an American Designer
Ray Eames (b. Bernice Alexandra Kaiser 1912-88) was an American designer. She was born in Sacramento, California. She was the wife of Charles Eames. Read More →
-
Mezzadro Chair – a nod to Italian Agriculture
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni were not the first twentieth-century designers to consider the tractor seat in relation to sophisticated furniture production: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe used it for the Conchoidal chairs he conceived during the early 1940s. Read More →
-
Philippe Starck (1949 – ) the artist-designer
Phillippe Starck is one of the most widely known artist‐designer ‘names’ in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Starck is one of France’s most fêted designers who has worked across a wide range of media. His work epitomises the intersection of art and design, its often fanciful qualities attracting both critical approbation and criticism, particularly in such commissions as pasta for Panzani (1987). Read More →
-
Konstantin Achkov (b.1973) and ‘tensegrity’ designed furniture
The form of the chairs is influenced by traditional frame construction, like that of the Eiffel tower. Specific sides form the base, where every element of the furniture puzzle is assembled only using puzzle joints without glue, nails, screws or bolts.Read More →
-
Marc Newson’s Aluminum Chair for Knoll
Honoring the cantilevered chairs of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the Newson Aluminum Chair, 90 years later, is a forward-looking expression that synthesizes simplicity, material and precision, in the Modernist tradition.Read More →
-
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 – 1969) German architect and designer
Between 1905 and 1907, he worked as an apprentice to architect and furniture designer Bruno Paul in Berlin, where he studied wooden furniture design. He created furniture for all of his early homes, including the Werner residence.Read More →
-
Emilio Ambasz Argentine architect and designer
Emilio Ambasz is an Argentinean who studied architecture at Princeton University from 1960 to 1965, worked at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York from 1970 to 1975 as Curator of Design arranged the landmark Italy: The New Domestic Landscape Exhibition in 1972.Read More →
-
Gaetano Pesce (b.1939 ) Italian architect, designer and sculptor
He established an office in Padua, where he became a founding member of Gruppo N in 1959. He experimented with programmed art and collaborated with Gruppo Zero in Germany, Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel in Paris (then known as Motus), and Gruppo T in Milan. Read More →
-
The Future of Fashion Is Wearing Iconic Chairs From the Past
When the American conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth created the 1965 art installation One and Three Chairs, he spread a chair’s function across several mediums. Read More →
-
Minimalist Faceted Voxel Chair By Karim Rashid
The Voxel Chair is the perfect piece of architectural design for any space. Based on the Vertex Chair, a former Vondom piece. It presents a unique structural shape, angular and faceted, which can only be produced by injection moulding. Due to its smartly designed shape, its weight is distributed in a balanced way. Its lightweight body makes it easy to move and arrange.Read More →
-
Eames Chair Review: We Tested the Lounge Chair and Ottoman
First developed by lifelong couple and design partners Charles and Ray Eames in 1956, the lounge chair was the duo’s interpretation of a 19th-century club chair—designed to resemble a worn first baseman’s mitt and made of high-quality materials like supple leather, wood veneer, and cast aluminum.Read More →
-
S533 Cantilever Chair timeless elegance
Technology is transformed into furniture, and an eye-catching invention is transformed into a beautiful interior design product. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was the first to give the cantilever chair a light aesthetic and use curved lines to tie it to its surroundings.Read More →
-
The Atra Armchair Continues the Indoor/Outdoor Furniture Trend
Atra has ergonomic sitting with ventilated perforated back and side regions, as well as a wide, curved design. The armchairs are stackable and the seat is easy to clean. The materials utilised to create Atra – 100 percent recyclable polypropylene and fibreglass – are weather-resistant.Read More →
-
Leolux LX Armchair of High Comfort
and comfortable armchair. The walnut or oak wooden plywood shell, upholstered in fabric or leather, is the focal point. Customization is also possible with the aluminium swivel base. For that ultimate touch, this can be completed in polished aluminium or an Epoxy colour.Read More →
-
Girly Feminine Pink Chair Furniture Designs 🌸
The gentle tones wonderfully complement the comfy cushions, creating what the designer refers to as “uterine sensuality.” Memory foam is used to make the pillows, which reminds us of safety, rest, and the future in keeping with the design’s maternal motif. The base is composed of polished aluminium and is uneven in shape, much like the entire chair design. This is a must-see for everyone who likes one-of-a-kind items. Read More →
-
Best Meditation Chair With Back Support 🧘
Back discomfort can be alleviated by using meditation chairs. They offer support as well as comfort to the user and are available in several styles. Most will have a cushioned seat for the user’s comfort, and many will come with a backrest for added support during the workout.Read More →
-
Shoe Chair by Birgit Jürgenssen
Birgit Jürgenssen works with constellations and interactions influenced by gender-specific projections, physicality, and identification. Her affiliation in the feminist-oriented group DIE DAMEN (with Evelyne Egerer, Birgit Jürgenssen, ONA B., Ingeborg Strobl, and Lawrence Weiner) aided her in placing her objects between everyday life and role play. Read More →
-
Favela Armchair by the Campana Brothers
They began designing products together in 1983, using waste, wood scraps, cardboard, rope, and other materials.Read More →
-
Muffy VanderBear Portrait Chair
Barbara Isenberg of New York inspected store inventories of soft toys in the mid-1970s and found them deficient. Isenberg wanted a teddy bear for her small kid that had the same quality, charm, and cozy textures as the ones she remembered from her youth. Read More →
-
Paulistano Chair by Paulo Mendes da Rocha
A “pudding chair” that is comfortable to sit in and is flexible in all directions, including laterally. When designing this chair, the architect had that in mind. Read More →
-
“Sitzmaschine” reclining armchair, model no. 670, Josef Hoffmann
Note the chair frame: to form a continuous pillar, single pieces of beech wood have been carefully manipulated. This recliner, originally intended for patients in a nursing home, can be easily modified by sliding a rod between the circular knobs on the chair’s back arms. Hoffmann designed a chair that allows visibility of both its construction and work. This Sitzmaschine (Sitting Machine) embodies the emphasis on clean craftsmanship, geometric shape, and material integrity of the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops).Read More →
-
A Chair Inspired by French Ruelle
In French La Ruelle means little street – a tiny enclave of intimacy, friendliness and marketplace variety. Read More →
-
No. 22 Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia
No. 22 Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia. Many would argue that this is more of a sculpture than a chair. READ MORERead More →
-
Armchair (1949) designed by Hans J. Wegner
He simplified the chair’s structure so that the sculpted backrest and arms form one continuous element. The turned legs rigidly support the deep seat rail and top piece without the need for stretchers, combining an expressive form that draws on Chinese precedents with natural materials and a rationally conceived design destined for the most exacting factory manufacture.Read More →
-
How High the Moon armchair (1986) by Shiro Kuramata
Shiro Kuramata’s inventive transformations of everyday industrial materials, including steel mesh, terrazzo, corrugated aluminium, and steel cables, pushed material technology to new design limits. Read More >Read More →
-
Red and Blue Armchair by Gerrit Rietveld
The Red and Blue Chair’s visual impact has ensured that it will always be a staple image in any history of twentieth-century design. It has become a metaphor for the Modern Movement along with the Schröder home.Read More →
-
Functional Pack Horse Chair With Storage
Pack Horse is a ‘active’ leisure chair that will accompany you on your mental journeys. A chair that allows you to become lost in analogue creative pursuits like writing, painting, reading, playing guitar, or listening to records. Read More →
-
Lassen Chair by Lassen | Danish Functionalist Design
The Lassen Chair was created by Flemming Lassen, Magnus Sangild, and Marianne Viktor in 2018 as a tribute to Flemming Lassen’s uncompromising dedication to detail, aesthetics, quality, and form.Read More →
-
Hanging Loop Chair by Lee Broom
Hanging Loop Chair by Lee Broom. Suspended from above, two brass plated steel circular hoops join to create – Hanging Hoop Chair. Read More >Read More →
-
Tubular Furniture from Ventilation Pipes and Scrap Metal
Tubular Furniture – Eindhoven-based designer Lucas Muñoz has combined industrial steel ventilation pipes to create this chair. Read More >Read More →
-
LL2 Lounge Chair- Elegant Modern Design
LL2 Lounge Chair – designed by BonnettiKozerski. This beautiful elegant lounge chair was first exhibited in New York in 2011. Read MoreRead More →
-
Marco Zanuso Sr. (1916 – 2001) Italian architect and designer
Marco Zanuso Sr. was an Italian architect and designer. He was born in Milan. He studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, to 1939. Read More →
-
Dwell and Gear Patrol detail the Wassily Chair and Bertoia Diamond Chair
The chair shown in Dwell is the Wassily Chair. Inspired by a bicycle frame’s functional design, apprentice Marcel Bruer reduced the classic club chair to its elemental lines and planes using tubular steel.Read More →
-
The P40 articulated lounge chair
Osvaldo Borsani Armchair (P40) 1955, articulated chaise longue. The rubber-armed chair was a sophisticated ‘machine for sitting’ that could it was claimed, assume 486 positions.Read More →
-
David Palterer (b. 1949) Israeli designer
David Palterer is an Israeli designer born in Haifa. He is professionally active in Florence.Read More →
-
Jasper Morrison (1959 – ) British Designer quirky, understated furniture
Morrison produced quirky, satiric, understated furniture. His 1986 South Kensington flat was widely published in design magazines. He designed 1988 Door handles I and II, and a 1989 range of aluminium handles produced by FSB in Germany. Read More →
-
Bruno Pollack (1902 – 1985) – Austrian furniture designer
Pollack invented a tubular steel stacking chair, model RP7, which was manufactured from c1932 and revolutionised auditorium seating with its stacking concept. Cox, a British furniture maker, was embroiled in a legal battle with rival Pel in 1934 over the Rp6 stacking chair, which Pel had bought the rights from Pollack.Read More →
-
New Classic Furniture Morocco Dining Chair with Cushion, Set of 2, Dark Gray
Dining chair: dining chairs expertly constructed from Walnut, rubberwood solids, and veneers for high-quality, long-lasting dining room furniture Read More →
-
The Finer Things: Timeless Furniture, Textiles, and Details
Quality matters. Just as a home’s foundation should be built to stand the test of time, so, too, should the furniture, objects, and elements of our rooms speak to an enduring sense of beauty and comfort. They should outlast trends and our loving day-to-day use. But how does one recognize quality and judge whether something is well made?Read More →
-
Alexa Dining Chair Nude Pink
The Alexa Dining Chair are as elegant as they are comfortable. Made of the highest quality moulded plastic, this chair is perfect for sitting at your dining table or sitting in a cafe style, making it a winner for both residential and commercial customers. With their sleek and modern design, these chairs are ideal for a modern environment.Read More →
-
Hover minimalist stool by Tom Chung
Hover is a minimalist stool created by Toronto-based designer Tom Chung. Hover is a contemporary take on the mechanics’ stool. Designed for co-working spaces or cafe’s where one might need personal short-term storage space. The tray provides a surface for your bag, without having to place it on the floor or hanger.Read More →
-
Michel Péclard, stool, 1955. Beech and birch.
Michel Péclard, stool, 1955. Beech and birch. Made by Horgen-Glarus, Switzerland, from 1926 the firm produced wood furniture and they furnished the Swiss Pavillion, 1929-30.Read More →
-
Naoto Fukasawa’s Latest Chair Dials Into Our Unconscious Behavior
It’s no coincidence that modern design history is told by chairs rather than cars, typefaces, or home appliances. So many extraordinary chairs were borne from innovative use of materials, a microcosm of objets d’art that take us through a series of key technological episodes in the evolution of design.Read More →
-
J39 Chair by Børge Morgensen
The J39 Chair was designed in 1947 by Børge Mogensen. J39 is a flexible solid wood masterpiece featuring a hand-woven seat with a natural paper cord. In 1939, just beginning his design career, when Mogensen was a 28-year-old architect, he followed his vision of producing high-quality, practical furniture that could popularise modernist design for the general public.Read More →
-
Eero Saarinen (1910 – 1961) Finnish | American architect designer
Eero Saarinen (1910 – 1961) Finnish architect. He was born in Kirkkonummi. He was professionally active in the USA. The son of Eliel and Loja Saarinen.Read More →
-
Philip Webb (1831 – 1915) British architect and designer
Philip Webb was a British architect and designer; he was born in Oxford. Between 1849-52 he trained under architect John Billing in Reading. Read More →
-
Peter van der Waals (1870 – 1937) Dutch Furniture Designer
Peter van der Waals is a Dutch furniture designer and maker; active Britain. He studied in The Hague, Brussels, Berlin, and Vienna and from 1899, London. Read More →
-
Peter Opsvik Norwegian furniture designer – ergonomic chairs
Peter Opsvik is a Norwegian furniture designer. In the 1960s, studied ergonomics under Ulrich Burandt and in design schools in Bergen and Oslo. In the 1970s, in Britain and Volkwangschule filr Kunstgewerbe, Essen. 1965-70, he was a designer at the Tandberg Radio Factory.Read More →
-
The Klapp Foldable High Chair – Coming Soon
Norway-based brand KAOS , known for their Scandinavian designs and affordable prices, is gearing up to launch their latest product, the Klapp designed in collaboration with product designer Ole Petter Wullum. Available in solid oak and oak veneer in three colourways, this high chair folds up into a slim profile for easy storage and features step ladders that allow kids to climb up and down themselves.Read More →
-
Womb chair – Eero Saarinen 1946
Its name expresses its purpose: “It was designed on the theory that a great number of people have never felt secure and comfortable since they have left the womb.”Read More →
-
Shimmer Chair by Gary Marinko
The Shimmer Chair creation was a result of a joint partnership between the University ofRead More →
-
Designer Profile: Louise Campbell – Scandinavian Rationalism and feminity
We have had a lot of Danish design recently, so it’s no surprise that we turn to Louise Campbell’s work. Born in Copenhagen to a Danish father and an English mother, Campbell inherited a ” combination of Scandinavian rationalism and femininity, ” which can be seen in its design of furniture and objects that emphasise functionality, material technology and complex forms.Read More →
-
9 ways to make your lounge room look bigger
A small space doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be cramped. Maybe there is not enough light; furniture doesn’t sit well, the layout isn’t right? How do you make a small room feel more spacious? With clever use of colour, furniture placing, space planning and lighting, your small space can feel as spacious as you need it to bRead More →
-
Small studio space in a warm color palette
This small one-room studio is decorated with lots of white combined with natural materials and warm colours like beige and ochre. This warm palette looks very inviting and unifies the style throughout the space. My favourite area must be the small white dining area with white bentwood chairs. Perfect for a morning coffee.Read More →
-
Otto Swivel Chair by Tim Webber Design Studio
The Otto Chair combines a sense of comfort, luxury and practicality into one small-footprint easy chair. The moulded foam seat shell wraps around you to create a chair that could be sat in for hours, be it in the office or at home. Read More →
You may also be interested in
Ray and Charles Eames a partnership
The following article was relied upon heavily. Ray and Charles Eames 21 Aug 1977, Sun Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Florida) Newspapers.com Charles Eames is the inventor of the moulded plywood “potato chip” chair, the ubiquitous moulded plastic chair, and the leather and plywood lounge chair; he is also a film director, frontman, photographer, and exhibits designer, architect, lecturer, poet, husband and myth.
Ray Eames an American Designer
Ray Eames (b. Bernice Alexandra Kaiser 1912-88) was an American designer. She was born in Sacramento, California. She was the wife of Charles Eames. In creative partnership with her spouse Charles Eames and the Eames Office, she was responsible for groundbreaking contributions in the field of architecture, furniture design, industrial design, manufacturing and the photographic arts.
Charles Eames (1907 – 1978) American designer, filmmaker and architect
Charles Eames, a distinguished American designer, filmmaker and architect, studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis in 1924. In the early 1930s, having worked in private practice, he received a fellowship in 1936 to study architecture and design at the Academy of Art in Cranbrook, which proved to be a valuable experience.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.