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Eames Tandem Sling Seating

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Designers

Charles and Ray Eames Charles and Ray Eames

Environment

87% recyclable
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LEED Credit Summaries

What's In It For You

  • Product Story

    Eames tandem sling seating serves millions of travelers every day and does it comfortably and reliably.

    Designed for O'Hare International Airport in 1962, the sleek, contemporary design remains in style for all kinds of public transportation stations. Around the world, people find it a comfortable, inviting place to wait. And terminal operators appreciate its space-saving flexibility, durability, and easy maintenance.

  • Suits the Space

    The genius of the Eames design is the black T-beam that allows two to seven seats and tables to be attached in any order along its length. Seats can also be arranged back to back. With so many configuration options, this seating can easily meet facility needs. And the sleek look complements public spaces without overwhelming them.

  • Comfort While You Wait

    Wide, padded seats and an open seat-to-back angle keep you comfortable, even when your flight's delayed. The support beam design leaves plenty of room underneath for your carry-on luggage.

  • Made for 24/7/365 Use

    To test the strength and durability of tandem sling seating, we dropped a 100-pound weight on a prototype seat pad 15,000 times from a height of 5 inches. In real life, tandem sling seating has proven its durability under the most grueling conditions every day, around the clock.

  • Maximum strength is provided by the continuous, joint-free die-cast aluminum chair frames and support beams. Pads are polyurethane foam pressed and sealed between two layers of vinyl for a durable, wrinkle-free surface. Legs are polished aluminum with nylon glides.

  • Easy Care

    There are no stitch lines to gather dust, so the seats always look fresh and clean. Seat and back pads are the same size and interchangeable. Along with arm pads, they can be replaced on site.

  • Earth-Friendly

    Tandem sling seats are made of 54% recycled materials and are up to 87% recyclable at the end of their useful life. Steel and aluminum components are 100% recyclable.

Design Story

  • Charles and Ray Eames designed their tandem sling seating for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in 1962 to address the need for comfortable, attractive, and sturdy public seating. They based the design on the sling system developed for their aluminum group chairs.

    In 2009, the Chicago Architecture Foundation mounted an exhibit, ORD: Documenting the Definitive Modern Airport, and included a pair of Eames tandem sling seats along with an acoustic installation of airport sounds and historic photographs of the airport by Hedrich Blessing and Robert Burley.

  • Although it was designed almost 50 years ago, this seating is hard to improve upon. In 2005, the Sydney Morning Herald asked a selection of designers and architects to nominate the best and worst of design. Some of the "best" choices were the Jaguar E-type from the 1960s, a toothbrush, and the classic Coke bottle.

    But Che Wall, founding chair of the World Green Building Council, chose the Eames tandem sling seating as the design he loves most: "Ray and Charles Eames designed them for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in 1962. There are horrible airports and the seats are their saving grace. Seriously elegant, they are also simplistic and do
    their function well. They don't have any seams, so they are
    low maintenance. And they are comfortable."

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