Vitra Eames Plastic Chairs

The seat shell of the Eames Plastic Chair through the ages

In the 1940s Charles and Ray Eames experimented with materials such as plywood and aluminium to realise the idea of a seat shell moulded from a single piece for an industrially produced chair, but the experiments did not produce satisfactory results. In their search for alternative materials, the two came across fiberglass-reinforced polyester resin, which had many advantages: it can be shaped as desired, is very strong, has a tight feel and is suitable for industrial production of large quantities. It was the first time ever that this then novel material was used in the manufacture of furniture.
Since 1999 the shells have been made of the more environmentally friendly polypropylene.

Plastic chairs in series

After the prototypes had won a competition at the Modern Art Museum in New York in 1948 with their design and function, the first chairs by Charles and Ray Eames with seat shells went on sale in 1948 and 1950, the first mass-produced chairs made of plastic in the world. Today they are available in a wide variety of combinations.

The large variety of models

At the same time, the chairs by Charles and Ray Eames were the founders of modularity in the construction of seating furniture: the various side and armchairs with and without armrests and with different upholstery can still be combined with a variety of bases made of different materials to create ever new combinations. In this way, side and armchairs can be configured into exclusive products. Today, there are almost no limits to the configuration variety. Colours that shine, full upholstery and seat upholstery made of high-quality fabrics, metal and wood to the highest quality standards. Every chair is unique.

New seat height

Since the 1950s, the size of the human body has changed. On average there are 10cm more. The new seat height is therefore 43cm. The classic height was 41cm. From now on our customers receive the comfortable new version.

Black Edition

Timelessly elegant. The whole chair in noble black. This is the Black Edition. The "RAR black" with black runners and black seat is an eye-catcher and one of the whole special offers of the manufacturer!

This is how you recognise Original Vitra Eames Plastic Chairs

The originals from Vitra differ in some points from the replicas and replicas offered on the market, even if the design of the chair is identical at first sight.

An indication that you own an original is the flawless workmanship and the high-quality material used. This concerns the frame as well as the shell. Whether you are dealing with a replica, you can already see in detail by the materials used and the workmanship of the base and seat. The frame of the Wooden Base versions is made of high-quality maple and ash wood. Supposedly cheap replicas fall back on lower quality woods. For example, beech is used for the legs instead of maple and ash. Unclean milling and burrs also expose the supposed bargain.

The most obvious feature of the original is the marking on the underside of the seat shell. The manufacturer marks each chair with a serial number and place of manufacture.
This way you can be sure that you own an original Eames Chair from Vitra with which you will enjoy a long time.

In the pro office shop you will only receive the Vitra Original products!

The Eames Chair models at a glance

Side Chairs

DSW
Dining Height
Side Chair
Wood Base

DSR
Dining Height
Side Chair
Rod Base

DSX
Dining Height
Side Chair 
X-Base

PSCC
Pivot Side Chair
Cast Base on
Castors

DSS
Dining Height
Side Chair
Stacking Base

Armchairs

DAW
Dining Height
Armchair
Wood Base

DAR
Dining Height
Armchair
Rod Base

DAX
Dining Height
Armchair
X-Base

PACC
Pivot Armchair
Cast Base on
Castors

RAR
Rocking
Armchair
Rod Base

DAL
Dining Height
Armchair
La Fonda Base