Cast Ottoman Stretcher

The debut Eames Aluminum Group collection featured a square-shaped ottoman. The construction of the ottoman is similar to the chairs— it uses the same guiding concept of fabric held in tension between metal elements, thus providing a sense of cohesion for the collection as a whole. However, the ottoman’s aluminum side members were straight rather than curved, producing a flat surface on which sitters could rest their feet. As with the chairs, the ottoman’s fabric pad would have been wedged into the slot visible along one side of this bar. The holes on the bar’s opposite side indicate where the spreader would have been attached, spanning the width of the piece and holding the pad taut. The dull surface of this piece indicates that the aluminum has oxidized over time. Ray and Charles didn’t put an applied finish on the aluminum because an applied finish could chip or wear off. They understood that aluminum could be polished and returned to its original shiny surface.