Outdoor

Eames Aluminum Group Outdoor

Designed by Charles and Ray Eames, 1958

In 1953, industrialist J. Irwin Miller commissioned a remarkable modernist triumvirate to create his home in Columbus, Indiana: Eero Saarinen designed the building, Alexander Girard masterminded the interiors, and Dan Kiley handled the landscape architecture. Girard, noting a dearth of viable outdoor furnishings, turned to his friends Charles and Ray Eames in 1957. Within a year, the Aluminum Group was in production at Herman Miller.

To ensure that these timeless designs can confidently withstand the elements, the Eames Aluminum Group Outdoor now utilizes new Outdoor Weave fabric—a nod to the spirit of the material used on the original 1958 offering.

Eames Aluminum Group Lounge Chair Outdoor shown in Cool White Outdoor Weave; White base and frame.

Outdoor Weave

To ensure Charles and Ray Eameses’ timeless designs can confidently withstand the elements, the Eames Aluminum Group Outdoor utilizes new Outdoor Weave fabric—a nod to the spirit of the material used in the first 1958 offering. This state-of-the-art material builds on yarn and weaving technology pioneered with the Aeron Chair’s Pellicle suspension fabric. Porous, fast drying, and long lasting, it meets the criteria the Eameses demanded of the line’s original polyester saran fabric, whose durability issues forced the first collection to migrate indoors. Available in four tones, Outdoor Weave complements the group’s two updated powder-coated finishes.

Eames Aluminum Group Side Chair Outdoor shown in Cool White Outdoor Weave; White base and frame.

Eames Table Group Outdoor

Designed by Charles and Ray Eames, 1958, 1968

Four stone top options—each cut to order and hailing from a North American quarry with ties to historic American design—update Eames Tables Outdoor for use in the open air. Available in a choice of shapes and sizes, each stone option is set atop a 4-leg cast aluminum universal, contract, or segmented base that has been re-engineered in a durable powder-coated finish. With the inimitable Eames touch, each piece offers its own take on elegance and function.

Eames Table Contract Base Round Outdoor in Georgia White Marble top, White base (as shown).

Eames Table Contract Base Round Outdoor in Georgia Grey Marble top, Graphite Satin base (left).

Air-Chair and Table

Designed by Jasper Morrison for Magis, 2000

Air-molding technology helped Jasper Morrison create a plastic chair and table that are comfortable, durable, and very lightweight. Air molding uses traditional injection molding but takes it one step further—injecting plastic and air simultaneously into the mold to maintain a consistent wall thickness, resulting in a more rigid structure and producing a smooth surface with less material. Morrison’s single-­shell chair was the first to be conceived for and manufactured using this technology, which had long been used in the automotive and electronics industries. Both pieces are sturdy, smart, and suitable in any setting, indoors or out.

Air-­Chair shown in White.

Medici Chair Outdoor

Designed by Konstantin Grcic for Mattiazzi, 2012

With its generous dimensions and straightforward construction, the Medici Chair is a contemporary interpretation of the Adirondack chair. Konstantin Grcic, who trained as a cabinet-­maker, used only three-quarter-inch planks throughout—a reminder of the start of production, when a tree is cut into slices. The result is an easy-­to-read structure that expresses the characteristics of wood.

Suitable alone or in groups, the Medici uses thermo-oiled ash, a finish that uses a new process of heat-treating and hand-oiling to seal the wood and keep it moisture-resistant. Crafted for strength and semi-reclined for relaxation, the design is sizeable and sculptural.

Medici Chair Outdoor shown in Natural Thermo-oiled frame.

Eames Wire Base Low Table Outdoor

Designed by Charles and Ray Eames, 1950

A selection of durable granite and marble tabletops along with powder-coated finish options for the signature wire base help update this Eames classic and equip it for the outdoors. Now weather-resistant, the low, compact table with elegant rectilinear proportions finds use in a variety of open-air settings. Lightweight and easy to move, its small size and adaptable design offer endless possibilities: grouped together, several tables can form a large surface; spread out or used side by side, they work perfectly as a side table, end table, or plant stand.

Eames Wire Base Low Table Outdoor shown in Georgia Grey Marble top, Graphite Satin base.

Paso Doble Outdoor Family

Designed by Stefano Giovannoni for Magis, 2009

The lithe motion of a toreador and his cape—the signature movement on which the traditional Spanish paso doble dance is based—inspired Stefano Giovannoni’s dramatic but practical Paso Doble seating family. The designer developed the line around the concept of suspending material between rigid structures, much like the sling suspension found on Eames Aluminum Group Chairs. In this case, Giovannoni’s seating employs sturdy, roll-formed aluminum rails and flexible polymer mesh to create lightweight and elegant chaise lounge and ottomans, stools, and dining chairs.

Paso Doble Chaise Longue in White Polyester-Polymer textile, White frame (as shown).

Paso Doble Chaise Longue in Black Polyester-Polymer textile, Black frame (left).