DCW Chair

Designer Charles Eames (American, 1907 - 1978)

Designer Bernice Alexandra "Ray" (née Kaiser) Eames (American, 1912 - 1988)

Date1950-1959

MediumRed plywood and metal composit

Dimensions31 × 21 1/2 in. (78.7 × 54.6 cm)

ClassificationsFurniture

Credit LineGift of Geitel Winakor. In the permanent collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM2007.72ab

Status

Not on view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: Charles and Ray Eames were successful and well-known American designers of the mid-20th century whose work effectively combined functionalism and design while using new materials in a truly modern way. The couple met at Michigan’s Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1940, where both were exposed to European and Scandinavian examples of modernism that informed many of their creations. Charles and Ray Eames moved to California to begin their own company. In 1946, after much experimentation with molded laminated plywood, the Eameses premiered the now iconic DCM (Dining Chair Metal) design. This chair differed from the earlier versions in that it was not one shell but rather a seat and back with thin metal legs connecting the parts and attached with rubber shock mounts. Not only was it comfortable, curved to support the body, but it was much easier to manufacture, and its simplicity perfectly displayed the great beauty achievable with modern design. The DCW Chair incorporated laminated wood into the legs as well, for a variation on the model. Both DCM and DCW examples can be found in the University Museums’ collection. Throughout the 1950s and until Charles’s death in 1978, the couple designed and worked together. They would go on to successfully experiment with metal and fiberglass, always attempting to solve specific problems through design and bring the most comfort and function to the user. Their success and continuing icon status prove that great design can surpass and outlive the novelty and mass consumerism that dictated almost everything in the mid-century.

PeriodMid Century Modern

Locations