Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair with Wood Base

The Eames' experiments with molding plywood into organic forms yielded this design icon. When Time named this chair the Best Design of the 20th Century, the editors described it as “something elegant, light, and comfortable. Much copied, but never bettered.”

Hailed by Time as the Best Design of the 20th Century, the LCW — or Lounge Chair with wood legs (1946) — began as an experiment in Charles and Ray Eameses’ apartment, where they were molding plywood in what they called the “Kazam! Machine.” The machine pressed thin sheets of wood veneer against a heated membrane that was inflated by a bicycle pump. From these humble beginnings came what would become one of the world’s most widely recognized and highly coveted chairs.

Molded magnificence.
Low-slung, and with an expertly crafted molded seat and back (no more bike pumps needed), the LCW cradles you in a comfortable position; rubber shock mounts between the back, seat, and frame buffer against any jarring movements.