Desk Chair

This desk chair reflects modifications made to the design of the Eames Aluminum Group by manufacturer Herman Miller in cooperation with the Eames Office in 1973. The chairs’ seats were made slightly wider and deeper, which required elongating the all-important aluminum spreaders. The change resulted in a more comfortable chair, which would have been especially important as the Eames Aluminum Group grew in popularity as office furniture. Unlike their use in homes or restaurant dining rooms, at work a user would often be seated for many hours at a time. In the 1960s, corporations and designers alike began to realize the benefits of comfort upon well-being and productivity, and so began to pay increasing attention to the idea of so-called “ergonomic” office furniture. Furniture manufacturer Herman Miller led the way with the release of the “Action Office” in 1964, generally regarded as the first open-plan office system and emphasized—both in name and design—the benefits of agility, flexibility, and mobility in the workplace. The early 1970s adjustments to the Eames Aluminum Group reflects a similar interest in improving office environments, and also anticipated the concerns addressed by industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss in 1974, when his office began to publish the Humanscale reference guides for body dimensions, which were meant to aid designers in maximizing comfort and function for people of all sizes, genders, and abilities.