Contextual essay

The LCW (Low Chair Wood) was designed by Husband and Wife duo Charles and Ray Eames in 1945. The chair was designed using the manufacturing technology of moulded plywood, a technique derived from Charles' work for the Museum of Modern Arts 'Organic design in Home Furnishings competition' in 1940 with fellow designer Eero Saarinen. Charles was able to perfect this technique when his office won contracts to design and manufacture plywood leg splints, stretchers and aircraft parts for the U.S Military during WWII. The Eames' vision of a single plywood shell was quickly abolished when the plywood proved prone to cracking on sharp angles forcing them resort to the alternative solution of a two-piece design, that being a plywood seat and legs connected to a plywood backrest by lumbar support. The seat was attached using rubber washers or ‘shock mounts’ and nuts glued to the underside of the seat making for a clean, sophisticated aesthetic. The backrest used a similar method that allowed a level of 'spring' making the chair comfortable and marking a revolutionary breakthrough in chair design. Although the bulky washers deviate from the Eames' original vision of an unhindered wooden form that could be easily mass-produced, it does represent a detachment from the stuffy, complicated and heavy furniture of its era. Moreover, the LCW is robust and organic in form making it ideal for an expanding population of young families after the war who required light and affordable furniture. The LCW chair also paved the way for the couples other innovative designs including the Lounge Chair with Ottoman.