EAMES "WALNUT STOOLS"

Charles & Ray Eames (by Herman Miller)-1967

Solid Turned Walnut

​

Charles and Ray Eames designed the iconic Eames Walnut Stools to function as stools or side tables. Crafted from solid turned walnut, these sculptural accent pieces feature concave tops and bottoms with a choice of three distinctively shaped center sections. In September 1958, the U.S. Information Agency appointed George Nelson as chief designer of “The American National Exhibition,” which was set to open in Moscow the following summer. Nelson brought in Charles and Ray Eames in November of that year to help. The Eames Office conceived a multiscreen film called “Glimpses of the U.S.A.” Because of the tight deadline, the film needed to rely heavily on stock footage. Charles asked Henry Luce, chair of Time-Life, for access to the media company’s vast archives. Luce agreed, on condition that Charles and Ray might one day return the favor. A year later, Luce commissioned the Eames Office to design three lobbies for the newly constructed Time-Life Building at Rockefeller Center: the main reception lobby on the 27th floor, and two smaller lobbies on the 28th and 29th floors. Every element of the floor-to-ceiling designs was produced by Herman Miller. Two of the project’s famous elements—a padded leather swivel chair and a series of small, solid wood stools—went into production as the Eames Executive Chair (aka the Time-Life Chair) and Eames Walnut Stools. Our pieces were a gift from Max De Pree, then Chairman and CEO of Herman Miller and son of D.J. De Pree, founder of Herman Miller. The pieces were presented to Gary at the Herman Miller retreat house in Holland, Michigan during one of his frequent visits.