685 Ottoman

The Eames Aluminum Group ottoman uses the same approach to framing and stretching a Naugahyde pad as the collection’s chairs. Unlike the chairs, however, only one aluminum spreader is used. The ottoman’s single spreader bisects its underside and parallels the lines of the Naugahyde upholstery pad— a subtle design detail that results in an overall sense of measured symmetry for the piece. In the early Eames Aluminum Group brochures, the ottoman is shown paired with the reclining chair. In one case, a lounging model uses it as a footrest; in another, an open book rests upon the ottoman in a way that suggests the absent reader will return at any moment. In other words, the ottoman— and its promotional staging— heightens the sense of the collection as an instrument of rest and relaxation. This aim was highlighted by the name “Leisure Group” that was used at times during the collection’s development; a somewhat surprising moniker given its later success as office furniture and a reminder of the way that both the designers and the collection’s manufacturer Herman Miller readily adapted the Eames Aluminum Group based on consumer reception and use.