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The models EA 217 and EA 219 are the office swivel chairs in the Soft Pad Group by Charles and Ray Eames.
Their dignified aura makes them especially suited for management areas. The extraordinary comfort of the chairs results from the combined effect of their tilt mechanism, which can be adjusted to the users weight, and the soft upholstery. The higher backrest of EA 219 distinguishes it from the Soft Pad Chair EA 217.
Seat Mechanism
Adjustable backward tilt, lockable in the forward position. Continuous seat height adjustment with gas spring.
Backrest and seat
Medium-high backrest, Sewn-on cushions with polyurethane foam upholstery in Leather or Premium Leather (latter version with topstitching). Side profiles and spreaders in polished or chrome-plated die-cast aluminium.
Armrests
Die-cast aluminium, polished or chrome-plated finish
Base
Five-star base in polished or chrome-plated die-cast aluminium. Equipped with hard castors for carpet or soft castors for hard floors. Castor covers in black for polished base, with chrome-plated finish for chrome base.
Charles & Ray Eames
From 1941 to 1943, Charles and Ray Eames designed and developed stretchers and leg splints made of moulded plywood, and in 1946 they exhibited their experimental moulded plywood furniture at the New York Museum of Modern Art. The Herman Miller Company in Zeeland, Michigan, subsequently began to produce the Eameses' furniture designs. Charles and Ray participated in the 1948 'Low-Cost Furniture' competition at MoMA, and they built the Eames House in 1949 as their own private residence. Around 1955 they began to focus more on their extensive work as photographers and filmmakers, and in 1964 Charles received an honorary doctoral degree from the Pratt Institute in New York.
The Eames Office designed the IBM Pavilion for the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York, and the year 1969 offered the opportunity to participate in the exhibition 'Qu'est-ce que le design?' at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. In 1970-71, Charles was appointed as the Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard University. MoMA again presented an exhibition of the Eameses' work, entitled 'Furniture by Charles Eames', in 1973. Charles Eames died in St. Louis in 1978; Ray's death followed in 1988.
Charles and Ray Eames have had a profound and lasting influence on Vitra. The company's activity as a furniture manufacturer began in 1957 with the production of their designs. Yet it is not just the products of Charles and Ray Eames that have left their mark on Vitra. Even today, their design philosophy continues to profoundly shape the company's values, orientation and goals.
Swiss manufacturer Vitra’s collections of furniture and lighting bring together the colour, culture and sophistication of the world’s most prominent designers.