The Work of Charles and Ray Eames
A Legacy of Invention

Charles Eames (1907-78) and Ray Eames (1912-88) gave shape to America’s twentieth century. Their lives and work represented the nation’s defining social movements: the West Coast’s coming-of-age, the economy’s shift from making goods to the producing information, and the global expansion of American culture. The Eameses embraced the era’s visionary concept of modern design as an agent of social change, elevating it to a national agenda. Their evolution from furniture designers to cultural ambassadors demonstrated their boundless talents and the overlap of their interests with those of their country. In a rare era of shared objectives, the Eameses partnered with the federal government and the country’s top businesses to lead the charge to modernize postwar America. [read more]

thanks to plep

Charles and Ray had a tremendous influence on design in America. I first discovered them as an Architecture student in the early 60s. Going through this web site rekindled my wonder for all that they did. So many things that surround us today came out of their studio. I find them incredibly inspirational.

One thing that struck me was this sketch showing their design process.

They not only considered the interests and concerns of the design office and the client but also the concerns of society as a whole. It is when all three of these diverse set of interests are met that you have a truly successful design. It not only works for good design but for so many things we do. We would all do well to have such a concern for the impact on society when we create things.