Storage Solutions from Charles & Ray Eames
Practical, hard-working, and artful, the Eames Storage Unit is emblematic of the grace and vision designers Charles and Ray Eames used in solving home furnishing problems. A result of work they exhibited in 1949 at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the unit reveals the “machine aesthetic” and Japanese influences important to the Eameses at the time. The wire cross-supports echo other familiar Eames designs, including Eames wire chairs and wire-base tables, as well as the design of the Eames House, Case Study House #8, in Pacific Palisades, CA.
With a defined grid of shelving, drawers, and cases in an array of sizes and configurations, the units are a candid response to the never-ending need for a place to organize and keep things. The uprights, cross-supports, and perforated panels ensure stability; a selection of decorative options, from painted color-block hardboard panels to molded plywood sliding doors, add a touch of playfulness. Here’s how a few homes and home offices use the classic — often called “working art” — to keep their space streamlined.
The studio space of photographer Clark Lara (and his scene-stealing dog Cooper) contains an extensive collection of vintage Eames pieces, including the Eameses’ timeless storage unit. (Photo: Clark Lara)
The storage unit contains art, books, trinkets and more in the home lifestyle blogger and book designer Anna Dorfman is slowly renovating in upstate New York. (Photo: Anna Dorfman)
The Eameses’ never-boring design is a smart complement to the bold graphic wallpaper in the Boulder, Colorado, home of Roman, Christine, and Izzy Martinez. (Photo: Ashley Poskin / Apartment Therapy)
The classic unit provides an easy solution for maximizing the storage space in this 670-square foot studio apartment in Brooklyn. (Photo: Apartment Therapy)
Learn more and configure the unit that’s right for your space now in the Herman Miller store.
Top photo: Francois Dischinger for Herman Miller