Chapter 1
Molding the future with plywood
Chapter 2
Living in a glass box
Chapter 3
The ultimate icons of comfort
Chapter 4
Beyond furniture with films and toys
YOUR GOAL
Master of The design of Charles and Ray Eames
Ch 1 · Molding the future with plywood
torito Eames Molded Plywood
Molding plywood's soft flow, Charles and Ray found a way, To curve perfect comfort, Still iconic today.
torito The Eames Molded Plywood Chair (LCW) debuted in 1946, becoming an instant icon and later named the century's best design.
Fun Fact
The Kazam Machine: In their bedroom, Charles and Ray Eames molded plywood using a bicycle pump to inflate a balloon, pressing the wood into iconic chairs.
Glossary
plywood (noun)
A strong structural material made of thin layers of wood veneer glued and pressed together. In 1941, Charles and Ray Eames built a homemade machine to mold plywood into complex curves.
A strong structural material made of thin layers of wood veneer glued and pressed together. In 1941, Charles and Ray Eames built a homemade machine to mold plywood into complex curves.
Quiz
What material did the Eameses use to connect the separate plywood seat and back pieces of their chairs?
torito The US Navy commissioned the Eameses to design lightweight plywood leg splints during World War II, funding their material research.
Fun Fact
Plywood splints: The Eameses used their apartment's oven to bake their very first experimental plywood splints before building their custom Kazam! machine.
Quiz
What nickname did Charles and Ray Eames give to their homemade wood-pressing machine?
Quiz
Which publication named the Eames Molded Plywood Chair the "Design of the Century" in 1999?
Quiz
What was the main technical problem Charles and Ray faced when trying to mold a single piece of plywood?
Quiz
Which branch of the US military commissioned the Eameses to design plywood leg splints in 1942?
Quiz
What did Charles and Ray Eames use to heat their very first plywood experiments before building their machine?