Six Best Creations of Charles Eames, In Celebration of His Birthday

Today would have been the 106th birthday of revered creative Charles Eames. Along with his wife Ray, Eames forever changed the way we think about design, innovating not only the aesthetics of furniture and interiors, but the materials used to create them. They were great experimenters, always investigating new solutions to old problems, and through this exploration came great work.

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Of his staff, Charles once remarked that it was his dream, "to have people working on useless projects. These have the germ of new concepts."

The Eames's had great synergy together, which led to even greater output, and was likely the reason for their many successes. Charles summarized, "At all times love and discipline have led to a beautiful environment and a good life."

So in honor of Charles Eames's birthday, here's a round up of six of his best creations, starting with the chair I'm sitting on right now to write this:

Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair
Made from lightweight plywood, this is the chair that Time magazine once declared the "Best Design of the 20th Century."

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Charles Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman
Charles and Ray Eames first made the lounge chair and ottoman as a gift for their friend Billy Wilder, the director of Some Like It Hot and Sunset Blvd.

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Eames Moulded Plastic Chairs
These were first presented in 1948 at New York's Museum of Modern Art during the International Competition for the Design of Low-Cost Furniture.

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The Eames House
The Eames House (aka Case Study House No. 8) is a landmark of mid-20th century modern architecture, located at 203 North Chautauqua Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

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Hang-It-All Coat Rack
This coat rack perfectly demonstrates the Eames's penitent for play.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0

Powers of Ten
This short film tries to convey the enormity of existence, starting at a picnic by the lakeside in Chicago, before transporting us to the outer edges of the universe.

Images via Herman Miller