Probably the most widely recognized of all Eames furniture designs, the Eames Lounge Chair has been occupying a favored place in thousands of living rooms, studies, libraries and dens for 50 years now. It also sits in the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art.

It seems the only photos you ever see of it shows the classic black leather look. Soon, though, things will be looking much brighter: Herman Miller has reintroduced the ivory (or, more precisely, "marmor") leather version. The first truckload reaches our docks on June 7th.

A Colorful History

Charles Eames said he wanted to build a chair with "the warm receptive look of a well used first baseman's mitt."

Hmmm, I dare say he surpassed himself.

The first lounge chair and ottoman, it turns out, was a birthday gift for the Eames' friend Billy Wilder, the Academy Award-winning film director. Every Eames lounge chair and ottoman built since then has received the same meticulous handcrafted attention.

They're made by Herman Miller - entirely by hand - using molded, seven-ply veneered plywood and upholstered in top-grain leather.

Talk about durable...

It's not just the timeless design of these chairs that endures. They are truly built to last.

That was really driven home to me last year when a customer needed us to refurbish an Eames Lounge that he inherited from his great aunt. The leather on one of the arms was cracked and discolored because it had been sitting in direct sunlight.

When we disassembled it, we discovered the cushions were dated '1956.' It was one of the earliest chairs made — heck, it was older than me (barely). And except for the sun damage it was in immaculate condition.

Another one that came in to our certified Herman Miller repair and refurbishing department turned out to be the 12th Eames Lounge ever made! Those two vintage chairs were real celebrities around here. I don't expect to see them again for another 50 years.

More Variety Than Ever

The original black leather Eames Lounge featured teak- and rosewood-veneered plywood. But because the supply of those woods fluctuated so much, Herman Miller standardized on the three wood colors available today: walnut, cherry and natural cherry.

The Eames Lounge and Ottoman now comes in twelve different colors of leather. So your new heirloom-to-be can reflect your style for generations to come.

Click here to visit our Eames Lounge Chair page.

Or, if you like, simply give us a call toll-free at 1-877-MY-OFFICE and one of our experts will be happy to answer all your questions.