Charles and Ray Eames aren’t necessarily household names, but their inventions certainly are.
The couple is responsible for many of the inventions we now take for granted. If you’ve ever broken a limb, you can thank the Eames’ for being the first to mass-produce the splint that helped it heal. If you’ve ever kicked back in your lounge chair and put your feet on an ottoman, you can thank the Eames’ for bringing you such comfort. And if you’ve ever gotten stuck trying to figure out one of those quirky “mind toy” puzzles you get in your stocking every year, you can thank the Eames’ for—well, inventing something so frustrating.
Before they met, Charles studied architecture at Washington University. He later partnered with Charles Gray to found an architectural firm, and would go on to teach industrial design at the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
It’s there that he would meet the woman who would become his wife and business partner, Bernice Alexandra Kaiser.
Together, the Eames’ developed a moulding machine they called “The Kazam!” This would be the foundation of their future in mass-producing furniture and other commodities out of plywood, aluminum, and more.
From there, the Eames’ inventions were featured at the Museum of Modern Art, where some of their work would find a permanent home.
in 1964, Charles and Ray were commissioned to design the IBM Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair.
Check out the infographic below for more about the entrepreneurial couple, then check out Aram’s website for more Eames-inspired furniture.
Featured photo credit: The Evolution of Eames via aram.co.uk
