Eames Plastic Chairs RE

The most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least. with these words, Charles and Ray Eames described one of their main goals as furniture designers. The design that most fully embodied this ideal was the Plastic Chair. For years, the designer couple explored the fundamental idea of a one-piece seat shell moulded to fit the contours of the human body. After their experiments with plywood and sheet aluminium in the 1940s yielded unsatisfactory results, the designers turned to alternative materials which led them to glass-fibre reinforced polyester resin. The Eameses recognised the potential and explored the advantages of the material - mouldability, rigidity, pleasant tactile qualities and suitability for industrial manufacturing methods. With this material, which was previously unknown in the furniture industry, they successfully developed the shell design for serial production. After their 1948 debut at the Museum of Modern Art's 'Low-Cost Furniture Design' competition, the Plastic Armchair (A-shell) and Plastic Side Chair (S-shell) were introduced to the market in 1950 as the very first mass-produced plastic chairs in the history of furniture. The Eames Plastic Chairs also introduced a new furniture typology that has since become widespread: the multifunctional chair whose shell can be joined with a variety of different bases to serve diverse purposes. As early as 1950, Charles and Ray Eames presented a series of bases that enabled various sitting positions. Over the years and in ongoing consultation with the Eames family, Vitra has introduced more sustainable materials for the seat shells of the Eames Shell Chairs. Since 2024 the shells of the Eames Plastic Chairs have been made from recycled plastic and the chair family is now called Eames Plastic Chair RE. The high-quality recycled material stems from household recycling, particularly used packaging, obtained through the 'Yellow Bag' (Gelber Sack) collection programme in Germany. Utilising this raw material instead of petroleum-based primary plastics generates fewer climate-damaging emissions and consumes significantly less energy. Due to the composition of the recycled material, the various colour versions are interspersed with tiny specks of pigment. The colour white is being replaced by Cotton White RE, but is expected to remain available in virgin polypropylene until the end of 2025. Like the seat shells of Eames Plastic RE, the version in white is 100% recyclable at the end of its product life.