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Collection by Luke Hopping

How to Design with Charles and Ray Eames' Molded Plywood Chair

Though the distinction of most-commonly spotted chair in Dwell goes to another Eames piece, the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, is greatly adored by our readers, residents, and editors. Click through the slideshow to see the "chair of the century" at work in modern homes, and afterward, find out how an Air Force leg splint inspired the Eames' design.

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The living room sports a panoply of wood: Douglas fir for the ceiling, hemlock for the walls, and stained oak for the floor. The sofa is the Neo model by Bensen and the rug is vintage.
The living room sports a panoply of wood: Douglas fir for the ceiling, hemlock for the walls, and stained oak for the floor. The sofa is the Neo model by Bensen and the rug is vintage.
The wallpaper from Finland breaks up the clean white surface.
The wallpaper from Finland breaks up the clean white surface.
Dixon inspects a drawing in the couple’s shared office on the home’s top floor. The space features a sloping ceiling that rises to ten feet at one end. The new wood of the inserted ceiling counterpoints the vintage pumpkin pine floorboards underfoot.
Dixon inspects a drawing in the couple’s shared office on the home’s top floor. The space features a sloping ceiling that rises to ten feet at one end. The new wood of the inserted ceiling counterpoints the vintage pumpkin pine floorboards underfoot.
To increase the illusion of space, the architect raised the ceiling height and installed window treatments that let in plenty of light. “The singular use of [pine wood] also enhances the perception of space and provides dual cost-benefits,” Cousins says. “Plywood is affordable and readily available, and much of the joinery was designed to be constructed by a carpenter, further minimizing construction costs.”
To increase the illusion of space, the architect raised the ceiling height and installed window treatments that let in plenty of light. “The singular use of [pine wood] also enhances the perception of space and provides dual cost-benefits,” Cousins says. “Plywood is affordable and readily available, and much of the joinery was designed to be constructed by a carpenter, further minimizing construction costs.”
The living room is populated with a molded plywood Eames chair and a vintage Italian lamp.
The living room is populated with a molded plywood Eames chair and a vintage Italian lamp.
The house that Kem Studio designed for Sarah Magill on a narrow lot in Kansas City has a steel facade with reclaimed cypress cladding near the entrance. The entire structure sits atop a steel foundation set on concrete piers that were driven into solid stone.
The house that Kem Studio designed for Sarah Magill on a narrow lot in Kansas City has a steel facade with reclaimed cypress cladding near the entrance. The entire structure sits atop a steel foundation set on concrete piers that were driven into solid stone.