The Eames Lounge: Evaluaton Paper Example

Introduction

The Eames Lounge Chair is one of the most admired pieces of furniture that has attracted the attention of designers for more than half a century. This is despite the creative ideas that furniture designers come up with every year and innovate office lounge chairs. The lounge was designed by Ray and Charles Eames whose main agenda was come up with a piece of furniture that would appeal to their target customers in its design, as well as in its affordable high price (Boradkar, 2010). The lounge was also expected to be a luxury chair that only a designated group of elites would afford for their office and home use. The lounge was first of its kind at the time it was designed as designers were used to the conventional chairs that were made of a thin sheet of plywood. However, the Eames Lounge was made using three assembled parts, the seat, head-rest, and a back-rest. The Eames Lounge was expected to be comfortable for the executive in high-end offices that depicted power and influence (Spigel, 2016). Therefore, the cushions on the seat were made of a solid mass that did not curve in even after it was used for a long time. The Eames Lounge was also the first designs that gave its backrest the flexibility characteristic. It enabled a person to slightly bend backward and forward to relax. The shock absorbers placed distinctively on the lounge allowed it to flex with ease without getting spoiled.

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Another outstanding feature of the Eames lounge is that it was designed with an ottoman that acted as a leg-rest to complete set (Neuhart et al., 1989). Both items are made of leather and plywood which are of high quality. The Eameses were motivated by Billy Winder, a director, who made a makeshift lounge in the office where he could relax and take naps then continue to nap. The two brothers designed the lounge as a gift to Wilder and used basic colors like brown on the plywood and black on the leather gave it an appealing, yet professional look that would fit and blend with other office furniture. The Eameses justified the design by stating that the lounge allowed its user to have a luxurious and voluptuous experience (Spigel, 2016). The backrest was also designed to accommodate the autonomy of the backbone, making user that sitters did not strain when on the sitting position or when lying down.

Charles Eames, one of the designer brothers, was influenced by the idea of producing a furniture that would give its users the expected comfort. In addition, the design was supposed to influence the mass production of other pieces of furniture in the future. The designers took their time to idealize the lounge by molding the plywood to adopt a curvy look (Boradkar, 2010). The curvy feature on the lounge would allow it to bend without straining the joints. The deep-cushioning feature would also ensure the sitter did not feel the plywood on the seat. Unlike other commercially and mass-produced lounges, the Eames lounge and Ottoman were designed over a period of time before they were launched as they required a careful assembly of bulky and long-lasting materials (Hinchman, 2013). There were also critical steps that the Eames needed to follow so that they could release the new design to the market.

The Eames Lounge as a Modern Design Icon

The Eames Lounge is considered a modern design icon since it gave designers an idea of how luxury seats should look like, as well as additional features that could be added to the conventional chair (Lawson, 2013). Originally, the Eames Lounge did not consider having a headrest, which modern designers have considered a necessity in the mass-produced chairs. The Eames Lounge also continues to inspire modern designers to consider style in their products. Even though the Eames Lounge was designed more than fifty years ago, it continues to attract and retain the attention of interested clients and upcoming designers who enjoy the 20th Century design. The lounge comprised of a conventional and modern touch, meaning the designers had taken enough time to factor in the needs of customers at that time and in the future (Kaplan, 2011). For instance, the use of long-lasting materials and using the hands to make the final finishing remains to be one of the reasons why the Eames Lounge continues to be a modern icon.

The Eames Lounge continues to inspire modern icons due to the status quo attached to owning or sitting on the luxurious chair (Garcia & Romao, 2015). The black leather and rosewood surface is an appeal to potential buyers. Its high level of comfort also makes it an investment that individuals in both formal and informal settings consider as their priority. Most designers and architect are aware that in the modern day, clients would rather invest large amounts of resources on a product that would give them quality service and last for long, as opposed to a commodity that has a short lifespan (Weems, 2012). The Eames Lounge bridged the gap between comfort and luxury. It was different from the commercially produced chairs in the 20th Century before it was released that was made using softwood, and were not comfortable for the sitters.

The Eames Lounge is a modern design icon because of the style captured in its soft but durable leather material (Eidelberg, 2006). Modern designers have introduced the use of suede and velvet designs to replace the leather touch on the Eames Lounge design. Further, modern chairs are made in either large or small sizes, which allows people of different heights have their preferences customized during the assembly of the materials used in making the chair. Modern designers also use different aesthetics to come up with creative and innovative designs that satisfy the needs of clients. Caplan (1976) argues that the Eames Lounge chair continues to be an icon from the 20th Century to the 21st Century due to its ability to capture the cultural needs of the society. Both centuries have unique cultural statements on style and luxury, which people who are in touch with fashion can identify with as an icon to their collections (Boradkar, 2010). The Eames Lounge and its Ottoman are still produced in the modern day and customers place requests on the designers to have their preferences customized on the chair.

Differences between the Eames Lounge and the Barcalounger

There are notable differences between the Barcalounger and the Eames Lounge designs. The former is a recliner type of seat that is mostly used in homes. On the other hand, Eames Lounge Chairs are not made with a recliner ability at the base (Neuhart et al., 1989). The Barcalounger is made of different fabrics like leather or fabric option, and its base has the Ottoman design attached. This allows the sitters to stretch or tuck back the reclining leg-rest with ease. Comparably, the Eames Lounge and its matching Ottoman leg-rest are independent parts which are placed close to each other to complete the set (Normandin, 2012; Pil et al., 2016). Further, the Eames Lounge is made of an upholstery leather and has a veneer rosewood appearance, which makes them stand out as unique.

The base of the Eames Lounge chair has a permanent angle base of 15 degrees which allows the seat to swivel at 360 degrees. On the other hand, a recliner seat has a 30 degrees angle and its ability to swivel depends on the quality of fabric and material used to make the chair (Downing, 2011). The legs of the Barcalounger also angle up steeply due to their square shape. However, the Eames Lounge has its leg made in a round shape which gives them the ability to angle slightly without much pressure exerted on them. Unlike the Eames Lounge Chairs whose head-rest is comfortable and allows people of different heights to sit comfortably on the seat, the Barcalounger has its headrest connected to the backrest, which makes it hard for people sitting on the chairs to adjust their head positions and look at different directions with ease (Piotrowski & Rogers, 2010). The original Eames Lounge chairs are highly priced since they are made on demand and inscribed with the designers' logo. On the other hand, the Barcalounger seats which are made in mass production, rarely reflect the personality of a user since they are manufactured for commercial purposes, and different designers can undertake the role of making them.

Differences between the Eames Lounge Chairs and Barcaloungers in Taste and Culture

The differences between the Eames Lounger Chair and the Barcalounger communicate on the distinct ideologies in the tastes and cultures between the two designs. The former is made after a careful consideration of comfort, design, style, and comfort (Spigel, 2016; Voegl, 2017). Due diligence is taken by the manufacturers to ensure that dimensions, cushions, labels, shell, and wood are of the highest standards. This ensures that customers' needs and preferences are a priority and that the Eameses' idea of coming up with a unique design is carried on to future generations. The finishing on the Eames Lounge chairs is carefully done to ensure that no screws remained exposed (Sirkin et al., 2015). This ensures the chairs last for a longer time compared to Barcaloungers which start to wear out after a short time. The Barcaloungers are designed with a commercial culture in mind. Designers are quick to produce chairs in large quantities so that they can they can make a sale, which diverts their attention from taking proper consideration on durability and customer satisfaction. The Barcaloungers are also for ordinary people who are not willing to invest large amounts of money in a luxury seat unlike those that can afford the Eames Lounge. In conclusion, the Eames Lounge seats continue to appeal to customers that are in touch with their fashion and style. The Eames brothers have enjoyed global attention due to their creative design, that has continued to inspire modern designers.

References

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Voegl, S. (2017). Two Eames Chairs, Tw...