A surfboard for the living room

Living just above the ocean in their house at Pacific Palisades, California, Charles and Ray Eames were constantly surrounded by movement. They delighted in the endless ebb and flow of the surf, sudden rain floods rushing through a landscape, the glide of skateboarders, the hum of trains, even the spin of a child’s toy top. To them, the world was always in motion – and motion was beautiful. They collected reminders of this everywhere they went: driftwood and stones from the beach, tumbleweed from the desert. They also filmed the play of waves, shadow and shifting light, driven by a boundless curiosity to observe and understand.

That same inquisitive mindset fuelled their design process, where one idea often led naturally to the next. The Elliptical Table (ETR) of 1951 – affectionately nicknamed ‘the surfboard table’– is a perfect example. Stretching an impressive 226.7 cm in length, its long oval top seemed ready to ride a wave. The table was an evolution of the Low Table Rod (LTR). Both shared the same slender wire base, but while the compact LTR stood on a single element, the elongated ETR required two bases to support its generous size. As Charles once put it: ‘Eventually everything connects – people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality, per se.’ The ETR embodied that belief – a natural connection between two designs, carrying forward ideas and components to create something entirely new.

The link to surfing was not just in its nickname. At the Eames Office, humour was part of the design spirit. One memorable photograph shows two women putting an Elliptical Table on top of a convertible, as if they were on their way to the beach with an oversized surfboard. The whimsical image captured exactly what Charles and Ray meant when they said: ‘Take your pleasure seriously.’

For the Eameses, there was never a strict divide between fun and function. Their designs were intended to be practical, but also joyful – beautiful objects that inspire delight in daily use. The Elliptical Table reflects that philosophy perfectly: elegant yet light-hearted, serious yet playful, a design shaped by curiosity and movement. The ETR remains more than just a piece of furniture. With its sweeping lines and light construction, it embodies the spirit of California itself – the ocean, sunshine and freedom to play. Like so much of Charles and Ray’s work, it demonstrates how design can transform everyday objects into experiences that connect people, ideas and the simple pleasures of life.