MY
DESIGN HEROES
“M
y parents were quite contemporary-minded, and I have always been the same – perhaps now more than ever. When I was growing up our home had a modern mix of furniture and textures, including an Eames lounge chair and ottoman. I always loved its sense of comfort and striking style. The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames is iconic. They began working together at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan, in the late 1930s, producing pieces that broke the mould then and yet still feel fresh today. There is such an ease and confidence to their designs. Their classic pieces transcend style, whilst being utterly unique, and true to themselves. One of the remarkable things about the Eameses is that they practised in so many different disciplines. They are renowned not only for ground-breaking furniture design in moulded plywood, fibreglass and metal, but also for innovative architecture, graphic design, exhibition design, textiles, filmmaking and even children’s toys. I love to experiment, and the influence that Charles and Ray Eames have had on my work over the years, ever since I founded Designers Guild in 1970, is that they were determined to reinvent, to say something in a new and exciting way. The open-plan, prefabricated house that they designed, and lived in from 1949 for the rest of their lives, is a landmark of 20th century architecture. The Eameses were completely of their moment and contemporary to their time, and yet they have stood the test of time; their work never feels dated, whether it is a coat rack with wooden balls, a coloured fibreglass dining chair or a luxurious leather desk chair. In my opinion, they changed the way we view and use everyday items.” n
146 THE ENGLISH HOME
ABOVE The Vitra Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, designed in 1956 as an updated version of the English club chair, is one of the best-known furniture designs of the 21st century. From £5,015, Nest RIGHT This rack was designed by the husband-and-wife team in 1953 to encourage children to hang up their belongings, and is now a design classic. Vitra Eames Hang It All, £255, Nest FAR RIGHT Charles and Ray Eames (1907–1978 and 1912–1988). BELOW Tricia Guild is inspired by the way Charles and Ray Eames produced designs that both broke the mould and stood the test of time. Madhya fabric, £140 a metre, and wallpaper, £195 a roll; selection of furniture, all Designers Guild
ABOVE Designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1950 to fit the contours of the human body, the DSW (Dining Side Wood) chair was the first industrially manufactured plastic chair. Vitra DSW Eames plastic side chair with dark or golden maple base, £410, Nest
FEATURE KATHERINE SORRELL PHOTOGRAPHS CHARLES AND RAY EAMES © 2021 EAMES OFFICE, LLC (EAMESOFFICE.COM)
Founder and creative director of Designers Guild, Tricia Guild OBE, on Charles and Ray Eames
