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Organic Chair

Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen, 1940

Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen created the Organic Chair in 1940 as part of their entry for 'Organic Design in Home Furnishings', a competition organised by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The small reading chair offers superb comfort, thanks to its comfortably upholstered, biomorphically shaped seat shell, and is also available in a version with a higher backrest: Organic Highback.

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Product family

Organic Chair

Organic Chair Softshell Chair Table S.A.M. Bois_moire
Organic Chair Ceramic Clock Eames House Bird black Eames Elephant (small)_web_4-3
Organic Chair Softshell Chair Table S.A.M. Bois_moireOrganic Chair Ceramic Clock Eames House Bird black Eames Elephant (small)_web_4-3

The Organic Chair – a small and comfortable reading chair – was developed in several versions for the 1940 'Organic Design in Home Furnishings' competition organised by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. With its sculptural shapes, the design was ahead of the times. But due to the absence of suitable manufacturing techniques, the armchair never went into production. Not until 1950 did it become possible to manufacture and market organically shaped seat shells in large quantities, as exemplified by Charles and Ray Eames's famous Plastic Armchair or Saarinen's Tulip Chair. The Organic Chair is also available in a version with an extended backrest and longer, wider armrests – the Organic Highback armchair. The Organic Conference version can be used as table seating.

This product was designed by

Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen

Eames, Saarinen_web_designer_filter
Eames, Saarinen_web_designer_filter

Eero Saarinen together with Charles Eames developed the first designs for furniture made from moulded plywood. In 1940, they submitted the Organic Chair as a joint entry to the “Organic Design in Home Furnishings” competition held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York.