How to Recognize an Original Eames Chair

The chair designs of Charles and Ray Eames, a husband-and-wife team of influential American 20th century designers, are some of the most popular in the furniture and collectible world. Due to their popularity, there are many replicas and reproductions of Eames chair designs, but there also are ways to spot an original production chair.

Instructions

1. Look for a Herman Miller or Vitra label on the chair base. Herman Miller is the exclusive manufacturers of Eames furniture in the United States, while Vitra had the rights to produce Eames furniture in Europe.

2. Become familiar with the work of Charles and Ray Eames. In the absence of a manufacturer's label, the next best way to spot an original Eames chair is to know the visual nuances of each design.

3. Look for the original paper label from Herman Miller, Zeeland, Michigan, and the HM impression on fiberglass shell chairs. Some very early production fiberglass shell chairs predate Herman Miller manufacture, however, chairs with a rope edge and a circle and star impression on the base are likely to be original production chairs.

4. Compare the look of the chair with photographs of Eames chairs from the same era. Herman Miller slightly changed and refined the design of Eames furniture over the years, however the aesthetic of the chairs remains the same.

5. Look for a stamp on the base of the chair. The Dining Chair Wood (DCW) and Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) may have the DCW or LCW acronym.

6. Pay close attention to the base, arms and headrest of the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. Plycraft and other manufacturers of the same era created close replicas of this popular chair. If in doubt, refer to the Herman Miller original product information.

References

• Herman Miller: Charles and Ray Eames
• Vitra: Charles and Ray Eames

Resources

• The Eames Office