Vintage rosewood and leather armchair 670 by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller

Charles and Ray Eames lounge chair 670. The Eames lounge chair and ottoman are furnishings made of molded plywood and leather, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for the Herman Miller furniture company. They are officially titled Eames Lounge 670 and Ottoman 671 and were released in 1956 after years of development by designers. It was the first chair that the Eameses designed for a high-end market. Examples of these furnishings are part of the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Famously described as “a special refuge from the strains of modern living,” the Eames lounge chair and ottoman is one of the most significant designs of the 20th century. Unparalleled craftsmanship and rigorous attention to detail made it a fixture in homes across the world. Charles and Ray Eames’ modern take on a 19th century club chair was originally inspired by a "well-used first baseman’s mitt." Today, it’s one of the most significant furniture designs of all time. A 1956 rosewood Eames lounge chair and ottoman are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The set was a gift of the Herman Miller Company, donated in 1960. A rosewood Eames Lounge Chair and ottoman are on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. A rosewood Eames lounge chair and Ottoman are in the permanent collection of the V&A Museum of London. Museum number: CIRC.67-1969. A walnut or rosewood Eames lounge chair and ottoman are on display and in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Charles and Ray Eames sought to develop furniture that could be mass-produced and affordable, with the exception of the Eames lounge chair. This luxury item was inspired by the traditional English club chair. The Eames lounge chair is an icon of modern style design, although when it was first made, Ray Eames remarked in a letter to Charles that the chair looked "comfortable and un-designy". Charles’s vision was for a chair with "the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt." The chair is composed of three curved plywood shells covered with veneer: the headrest, the backrest and the seat. The layers are glued together and shaped under heat and pressure. The shells and the seat cushions are essentially of the same shape, and composed of two curved forms interlocking to form a solid mass. The chair back and headrest are identical in proportion, as are the seat and the ottoman. The products have changed in various ways over time. Beginning in 1956 and running through the very early 1990s, the shells were made up of five thin layers of plywood which were covered by a veneer of Brazilian rosewood. The use of Brazilian rosewood was discontinued in the early 1990s, and current production since then consists of seven layers of plywood covered by finishing veneers of cherry, walnut, Palisander rosewood (a sustainably grown wood with similar grain patterns to the original Brazilian versions), and other finishes.