ProdottiSedieSedie da ufficioPoltrone loungeTavoli da pranzoTavoli barScrivanieSistemi di arredamento per ufficioTavolini da soggiorno e da salottoDivaniMicro architectureAccessoriIlluminazioneSoggiornoSala da pranzoHome OfficeStanza dei bambiniOutdoorFocusSpazio di lavoroRiunioniWorkshopAlexander Girard Antonio CitterioCharles & Ray Eames Barber OsgerbyGeorge NelsonIsamu NoguchiJasper MorrisonJean ProuvéKonstantin GrcicRonan & Erwan BouroullecVerner PantonCura & riparazioniRicambiProdotti per la curaGaranzia del fabbricanteNuovoBestsellerDisponibile velocementeGift finderOffice chair finderLounge chair finderColori e materialiMikadoColour Frame MirrorsIspirazioniIspirazioni per la casaEames Shell ChairsJean Prouvé CollectionSedia Standard & Chaise Tout BoisUna casa invitante Una casa collezionando ricordiComfort e sostenibilità combinatiMobili come parte della famiglial’arte del verde negli spazi interniLiving with EamesCollezionare mobili e opere vintageVivere e lavorare in un’oasi cittadinaUna nuova vita per una casa di GropiusLa loro casa ideale a stretto contatto con la naturaMagazineStorieConversazioniEsposizioniDesignerProject VitraShaping the future of energyFrom a toy to an objectWhat would nature doWhy design classics remain relevant, even in the officeA studio visit with Tsuyoshi TaneThe Eames Collection at the Vitra Design MuseumMoments in architectureAbout the partnership between Eames and VitraThe Eames La ChaiseSaul SteinbergTane Garden HouseWhat would Charles and Ray say?The Maison Jean ProuvéDesign is a highly political professionPhilosophy of select and arrangeThe OriginalHistory of communal workspacesVitra CampusMostreVisite guidate e laboratoriRistorazioneShoppingArchitetturaIl vostro eventoPianifica la tua visitaVitra Campus appNotizieVitraHausVitra Design MuseumVitra SchaudepotVitra Circle Store CampusOudolf GartenSu VitraSostenibilitàJobs & CareersProcesso di designL'originale è di VitraStoria - Project VitraProfessionalsClub OfficeCitizen OfficeDynamic SpacesAeroporti HospitalityHealthcareDownloadsColori e materialipConEsempi di pianificazioneCertificazioniCura e manutenzioneNostri clientiSedie da ufficioDancing OfficePerché i classici sono così importantiConsulting & Planning StudioDealer loginMikadoTyde 2 su ruoteACXOur ClientsJoyn 2Abalon
Potato Chip Chair
A Vitra Anecdote
The highly popular DCM by Charles and Ray Eames was nicknamed the Potato chip chair.
Originally labelled DCM – an acronym for the very sober moniker, “Dining Chair Metal” – Charles and Ray Eames’ first serially-produced chair was nicknamed the Potato Chip Chair soon after its release. But what does the chair with a three-dimensionally curved plywood seat have in common with a potato?
For one, it cannot be denied that there exists a certain similarity between the thin, oval, slightly curved plywood seat and backrest and a crisp potato chip. But more importantly, the nickname embodies the love people felt for a chair that was praised as “a message of hope from another planet.”*
Indeed, the impact of the plywood chairs made by Charles and Ray Eames was huge. Not only were they unlike anything that had been seen before, they could be found everywhere. Serially produced and sold in extraordinary numbers to schools, universities, offices and public institutions, the Potato Chip Chair pervaded American culture – and beyond. Images of the chairs appeared everywhere – on magazine covers, advertisements, album covers, and even in comic books – and the chair became one of the most popular chairs ever, as universally beloved, as, well, the potato chip.
For one, it cannot be denied that there exists a certain similarity between the thin, oval, slightly curved plywood seat and backrest and a crisp potato chip. But more importantly, the nickname embodies the love people felt for a chair that was praised as “a message of hope from another planet.”*
Indeed, the impact of the plywood chairs made by Charles and Ray Eames was huge. Not only were they unlike anything that had been seen before, they could be found everywhere. Serially produced and sold in extraordinary numbers to schools, universities, offices and public institutions, the Potato Chip Chair pervaded American culture – and beyond. Images of the chairs appeared everywhere – on magazine covers, advertisements, album covers, and even in comic books – and the chair became one of the most popular chairs ever, as universally beloved, as, well, the potato chip.
More information on the topic of Eames furniture is found in the "Eames Furniture Sourcebook" and “Essential Eames”, two new publications by the Vitra Design Museum, available in German and English editions from booksellers or directly from the VDM publishing house.
Publication Date: 17.6.2014
Author: Anniina Koivu
Images: Marc Eggimann
*Alison Smithson: And now Dhamas are dying out in Japan. Architectural Design, September 1966.