Walnut Stools
CHARLES AND RAY EAMES
CHARLES AND RAY EAMES, 1960
In 1960, Charles and Ray Eames were commissioned to design furnishings for the new Time Life Building lobby. A site-specific desk made of solid walnut anchored the design, and provided the impetus for these turned stools. The Eames had never worked with solid wood before. They created three designs reminiscent of chess pieces. The top and bottoms remained consistent with alternative shaped wood middle systems. Charles and Ray intended the stools to be usable as side tables, making sure the concave top was deep enough to be comfortable, but ‘not so deep as to make it impossible to secure a teacup and saucer on it’. Small variations on elegant simplicity and an obsessive approach create a beauty that is obvious but an ingenuity nearly invisible.