Eames Lounge (670) Hi End Chairs

'Eames Lounge (670) and Ottoman' by Vitra/ Hermann Miller

This lounger has its special place in design history. Not only because of its aesthetic appeal, but also because it is a contradiction to the Bauhaus' manifesto to mass produce good design cheaply and at a low cost for the end consumer. Eames' 1956 recliner is made of expensive materials: walnut, cherrywood, Santos Palisander and leather make it one of the priciest comfort chairs around. The opinions are split about its comfort though: The new version is very firm and the lounging person must adapt to the chair, not vice versa.

Designed for the high-end market, original chairs (in the now discontinued version with Brazilian rosewood veneers) fetch high auction prices. The lounge chair is an old friend to various magazines and brochures but I think the idea of today's 'lounging' is not the same that it was fifty years ago, when one took hours to read the newspaper and had a pipe, did needlework or dozed off in the afternoons. Eames' 670 has now become a sculpture that is not used but is being looked at and bragged about with.

Source : blogspot.com