5 things you didn’t know about this perfect pair

Happy Valentines Day!

A day that is mostly filled with romantic flora & sweet handwritten notes, is also a day where we celebrate those that we love. In honor of this loved-filled day, we wanted share one of our favorite couples, here at CA Design – Charles & Ray Eames.

Charles & Ray Eames were partners in all aspects of their life, personally & professionally. The pair of American designers knew no bounds when it came to their creative endeavors. Over the course of 40 years, the two had an incredible impact on industrial design, modern architecture, and furniture. You might recognise them for their iconic design – the Eames-style Lounger, Aluminium Office Chair, their DRS Chair, and many others. They experimented with materials like molded plywood which was influential for modern design. Their mission was to create designs that were highly sculptural, affordable, and functional.

Here are 5 facts that you may not have known about this iconic design couple

1. They met while attending the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills

Charles Eames secured a scholarship in architecture at Washington University. Despite this, his unwavering devotion to Frank Lloyd Wright caused issues with his tutors & he left after just 2 years. Charles then went on to Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1940, where he then went on to meet Ray Gayber.

2. Charles proposed to Ray in a heartfelt letter

At the academy, Ray was studying painting while Eames was the head of the industrial design department at the Academy. He entered into a furniture competition with Eero Saarinen hosted by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Ray stepped in to assist with the graphic design for their entry & the pair hit it off immediately. Charles divorced his wife & wrote Ray a heartful letter as a form of the proposal.

3. Their house is now a famous landmark

The Eames House, also known as Case Study House No. 8 is a landmark of the mid-20th century, and located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. The structure was designed by the couple & was known for being filled with gifts from friends and family. The building's openness and sliding doors were inspired by the Stijl movement.

4. Ray left nothing to chance

Ray passed in 1988, a decade later than Charles Eames. Leaving no aesthetic to chance, she designed the casing that would hold both Charles & Ray’s ashes – boxes that were made out of grain sugar pine fitted lids and lined with handmade Japanese paper.

5. They turned down the opportunity to redesign the Budweisers logo

The couple was offered a huge commercial project which would have tasked them to redesign the beverage brand’s logo. The pair believed that innovation was a designer’s last resort & always led to problems. Thus, they declined as there was not a good enough reason to change the existing design.

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