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The Eames House: A Deep Dive into Case Study House 8

Nestled in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles stands the Eames House, also known as Case Study House No. 8. It is more than just a work of mid-century modern architecture; it’s an enduring testament to the design sensibilities and philosophies of Charles and Ray Eames, the husband-and-wife team who not only designed it but also called it home. Built in 1949, this iconic structure encapsulates the couple’s holistic approach to design and life.

Eames House Technical Information

• Architects: Ray and Charles Eames
• Location: 203 North Chautauqua Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles , USA
• Topics: Mid-Century Modern
• Area: 1,500 ft 2 |  140  m 2
• Project Year: 1945 – 1949
• Photographs: © Eames Office, See Captions

The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.  – Charles and Ray Eames 1-2

Eames House Photographs

The Eames House: A Living Laboratory for Design Exploration 

From its initial construction to its life today as a museum, the Eames House offers a rich tapestry of history, ingenuity, and practical elegance. Commissioned by Arts & Architecture magazine for their Case Study House program, this residence has endured as a beacon of what Charles and Ray stood for—efficiency, innovation, and the honest use of materials. As Charles once said, “Just as a good host tries to anticipate the needs of his guest, so a good architect or a designer or a city planner tries to anticipate the needs of those who will live in or use the thing being designed.”

The Eameses purchased 1.4 acres from Arts & Architecture owner John Entenza in 1945, but the journey to the final construction was rife with modifications and resource constraints. Initial designs by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen , which envisioned a glass and steel box cantilevering dramatically over the property, were shelved. In part, due to material shortages in the post-war era, Charles and Ray turned inward, observing and soaking in the nuances of the site. The eventual design had the house sitting quietly in the land, harmonizing with the natural surroundings rather than imposing on it.

Two distinct boxes make up the residence—one serves as the living quarters and the other as a studio. The house and studio are separated by a concrete retaining wall that integrates seamlessly with the existing landscape. An 8-foot tall by 200-foot long concrete wall helps to anchor the site while also setting a dramatic backdrop for the architecture.

Both structures are predominantly characterized by their steel frame construction, filled with a variety of colored panels. The colored panels aren’t merely decorative; they are functional elements carefully calibrated to provide shifting patterns of light and shade throughout the day. The impact of light, so finely tuned in the design, showcases influences from Japanese architecture.

The Eames House doesn’t just make a statement from the outside; the interiors are equally compelling. The house is a melting pot of the Eameses’ diverse interests and design sensibilities—featuring Isamu Noguchi lamps , Thonet chairs, Native American baskets, and more. The living spaces are meticulously designed to serve multiple functions—a living room that transforms into a workspace, alcoves that turn into intimate conversation spots, and hallways lined with functional storage closets.

Living as Work, Work as Living

One of the most unique aspects of the Eames House is how it serves as a living laboratory for Charles and Ray’s iterative design process. As is evident from their film “Powers of Ten” or the constant evolution of their iconic furniture, the couple believed in refining, adjusting, and perfecting. The house was no different—it was a perpetual project, an embodiment of their philosophy of “life in work and work in life.”

For Charles and Ray, details weren’t just details—they were the product. The panels, steel columns, and even the gold-leaf panel marking the entry door were not afterthoughts but an integral part of the architectural dialogue. The Eames House reflects this in its intricate interplay of textures, colors, and spaces that come together to create a harmonious whole.

The Eames House is notable for its De Stijl influences, seen in the sliding walls and windows that allow for versatility and openness. It stands as a successful adaptation of European modernist principles within an American context.

The Eames House is not just an architectural statement but a comprehensive worldview translated into physical form. From its thoughtful integration with the landscape to its detailed articulations, it represents the legacy of two of the 20 th century’s most influential designers. Charles and Ray

Eames House Plans

Eames House Image Gallery

About Ray and Charles Eames

Charles and Ray Eames were a husband-and-wife design team who became icons of mid-20th-century modern design. Working primarily in the United States, they gained prominence for their contributions across multiple disciplines, including architecture, furniture design, industrial design, film, and exhibitions. Perhaps best known for their innovative furniture pieces, like the Eames Lounge Chair and Molded Plastic Chairs, they also left a lasting impact on architecture, most notably with the Eames House, also known as Case Study House No. 8. Their work is characterized by a playful yet disciplined approach, with a focus on functional design, innovative use of materials, and the importance of user experience.

Notes & Additional Credits

• While the quote is not specifically about the Eames House, it reflects the philosophy the Eameses applied to their design work, including their home. The Eames House is a manifestation of their belief in the “guest-host relationship,” where every design decision is made with the user’s experience in mind.
• Charles & Ray Eames: 1907-1978, 1912-1988: Pioneers of Mid-century Modernism  by Gloria Koenig

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Eames House and Studio (Case Study House #8)

One of the most famous Mid-Century Modern buildings in Los Angeles, designed by its owners, legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames, as two simple boxes that reflect the Eames' love of industrial design and materials.

Place Details

• Charles and Ray Eames

Designation

• Private Residence - Do Not Disturb

Property Type

• Single-Family Residential
• Los Angeles

Case Study House #8, better known as the Eames House and Studio, is one of the most famous Mid-Century Modern buildings in Los Angeles. It was designed by its owners, legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames, for  Arts & Architecture  magazine’s Case Study House program.

Completed in 1949 along with the adjacent Entenza house (designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen), the Eames property actually contains two adjacent buildings: the two-story house and the matching studio, separated by a small patio. Both buildings are simple boxes that reflect the Eames’ love of industrial design and materials, as well as Ray Eames’ bold graphic and monochromatic sensibility. They are built of steel frames clad in fixed panels made of plaster, wood, and glass, some opaque, some translucent, and some transparent. Pops of white and bright primary colors among the beige, black, and gray panels lend a Mondrian-style touch to the façades.

The design is modular, highlighting its industrial nature, and the structure of the buildings is abundantly evident. But the house’s interior is anything but rigid and cold.

Clad in warm woods and packed with custom-designed furniture, plants, and folk art, the inside of the house illustrates how inviting Modern design can be.

The two-story-high living area feels like a treehouse, lit with natural sunlight dappled by the eucalyptus trees outside. Today, the Eames Foundation maintains the Eames House and Studio as a truthful and inspiring icon of Modern design.

The Conservancy does not own or operate the Eames House and Studio.

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• Case Study House 9: The Entenza House

Case Study House #9, the Entenza House, was designed for Arts & Architecture owner and editor John Entenza as part of his innovative Case Study House program. The property is situated in the Pacific Palisades next door to the Eames House on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The Entenza House

The  Los Angeles Conservancy  described Case Study House #9’s (also known as The Entenza House) design plan:

“Designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen and completed in 1950, the house is modular in plan and features steel frame construction. But in contrast to many modern residences utilizing steel frame construction, that of the Entenza House is not actually revealed, but concealed with wood-paneled cladding. Entenza frequently entertained, so the house consists of mostly public and very little private space. The room arrangement included two bedrooms, a study, two bathrooms, kitchen, large open living/dining area, utility room, and garage. A large, sunken living room with a built-in seating area facilitates conversation.

The house is primarily sheathed in Truscon Ferrobord with the ocean-facing elevation glazed by Libby-Owens-Ford glass with Truscon steel window framing. The east elevation consists of a lightweight concrete block by Rocklite. The design of Case Study House #9 exemplifies the concept of merging interior and exterior spaces through glass expanses and seamless materials.”

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The Eames House, or Case Study House no. 8

I am sticking around the Pacific Palisades to talk about another one of my favorite places in Los Angeles–The Eames House and Foundation. But first a film.

I hope this video gave you some context about why the Eames House is such an important part of Los Angeles’ cultural landscape. I love taking my friends here who love architecture and Mid-Century design. The Eames house is a marvel in making do with what you have and testing the limits of what an object can do.

Table of Contents

The Case Study House Program

The Case Study House program, which the Eames House is part of, was ahead of its time in many ways. The idea came from a group of editors at Art and Architecture Magazine who posed a question to architects on how to produce homes cheaply and quickly. The program coincided with a projected population boom in the Western states after the end of WWII. One of the criteria was using materials that were readily available during the war. Think of the 3 Rs-Recycle/Reuse/Restore before it was cool.

The Case Study question was brought to several architects and designers that now read like a who’s who of the Mid-Century aesthetic: Richard Neutra, Eero Saarinen, Pierre Koenig, and Craig Ellwood, to name a few. In all, thirty-six houses were designed. Many of these were never built or were demolished before they could be protected. Luckily, two of these homes are on tour to the public in Los Angeles. Case Study House no. 22, or the Stahl House, and Case Study no. 8, built by Charles and Ray Eames.

The name Eames may not be familiar to you, but I assure you that you have seen their work copied again and again by places like Design Within Reach and West Elm. In addition to being architects of Case Study House No. 8, this husband and wife team designed all the furniture and textile pieces featured in the home. All the Eames designs are both aesthetic and functional.

The Eames’ home

What you notice about Case Study No. 8, which ended up being the Eames’ home, is that the house is separated into two buildings made from sections of shipping containers. A working space that served as their design studio and another larger space which I will talk about more in-depth in a second. The walkway between the two buildings is a green space meant to leave the worries of work at work.

The Eames were purveyors of the guest/host relationship. The home was designed so that it has a natural flow and puts guests first in the kitchen, then to the dining room, and ending the evening in the living room. After dinner, they can sip their after-dinner drinks with a spectacular view of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. This house was definitely planned with dinner parties in mind. The floor-to-ceiling windows really showcase the nature surrounding the property. The meadow outside is lined with milkweed that attracts Monarch butterflies that flit around the property. Tall eucalyptus trees with peeling bark reveal new colors and smell sweet on the air. Looming in the distance is the outline of Catalina Island.

Hours, cost, and information

Case Study No. 8 is now run by The Eames House Foundation who offers tours of the home and grounds.

• Website: http://eamesfoundation.org
• Location: 203 Chautauqua Boulevard, Pacific Palisades
• When: By appointment, closed on Wednesdays and Sundays
• Cost: As of this update, 4/6/23, they are only offering guided exterior tours at $30 per person. Check the website for all costs and to make an appointment
• Ages: All are welcome on the exterior tour. People under 15 years of age are not allowed on an interior tour

[Getting there: Driving: Just an FYI that although the directions to the place are good, please note that this area straddles two cities–one side of the street is Vance while the other is Corona Del Mar, a helpful hint since there is no place to turn around once you have missed the street.  By Public Transit: Los Angeles Metro bus 602.]

Missed my first favorite place; check out Monday’s post .

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Comments (2).

Hannah Siller

September 10, 2020 at 8:47 am

I had no clue this existed and I’ve lived in Southern California my whole life. Might have to check it out.

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Eames Case Study #8 House

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Eamesprecedent Case Study #8 House

Kristen Flores + Caterina V. Garcia Table of Contents

3 Background 4 Ray + Charles 5 Social + Historical Context 6 Location 7 Site + Context 8 Materials 9 Spatial Relationships 10 Program 11 Design + Aesthetics 12 Technical Drawings 13 Long Elevations 14 Short Elevations 15 Floor Plans 16 Sustainability 17 References Background

Case Study #8: Eames House Built: 1949, Pacific Palisades Designers: Ray + Charles Eames

Case Study #9: Entenza House Built: 1950, Pacific Palisades Designers: Charles Eames + Eero Saarinen

The Case Study Program (1945-1966) commissioned popular architects to build inexpensive and efficient homes for the post-World War II housing boom. It was designed to accommodate the large numbers of soldiers who were returning home from the war and did not have financial capital to purchase homes and was sponsored by the Arts & Architecture Magazine. Thirty-six houses were designed, but not all were built. Most of the homes that were built are located in Los Angeles . 3 Ray + Charles

Charles and Ray Kaiser met while they were studying architecture at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. They married in 1941, after Charles’ divorce from his first wife, Catherine. Besides their integral roles in the world of architecture, the Eameses were also influential in the worlds of furniture design, graphic design, fine art, and film. Together they received many distinctions such as the American Institute of Architects (AIA) “Twenty-Five Year Award” in 1977, the Royal Gold Medal in 1979, and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) “Most Influential Designer of the 20th Century” in 1985.

In 1949, Charles and Ray, a husband and wife team, designed and built their home as part of the Case Study House Program. This house became very popular and well known due to their design and innovative use of materials throughout the home. The home was designed to express a man’s life in the modern world. It is considered one of the most important post-war residences. The Eameses’ goal was to bring American modernism to the rest of the world. Their furniture, toys, buildings, films, exhibitions, and books were all aimed at improving the lives of average people. Charles and Ray Eames were communicators and educators, always looking for inventive ways to share their ideas with broader audiences. In 1945, Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen designed the first plan of the home, which was known as the Bridge House. Charles and Ray were finally able to move into their house on Christmas Eve of 1949. 4 Social + Historical Context

Ray and Charles Eames Design was formulated in The home was designed created a home that would order to preserve the trees to be economical to be functional + affordable for that were naturally found on build, while also using many people. The homes were the site, i.e. Eucalyptus trees. affordable materials because designed to use materials The home was designed to many soldiers returning that were readily available, integrate the foliage that was home from World War II and could be ordered from native to the site, so the trees might be using this design a catalog. Despite the envelop the home. When in order to accommodate affordability of the home, they first started designing, themselves and their families. they were able to enhance they used the method of The privacy of these families the design of the house by placement on the site, they was also taken into account, including many glass panels later modified that design so the Eameses decided which allowed the people to integrate the structure to incorporate solid panels living within the house to be with the site and nature, which blocked the view of more highly integrated with including a meadow that the outsiders to the interior spaces nature and the natural world. designers fell in love with. they deemed necessary. 5 Location

The home is located on a 1.4 acre lot in the Pacific Palisades along the Pacific Coast between Santa Monica and Malibu on a lower plateau on the northern edge of the Santa Monica Canyon. Three-acre site on top of a 150- foot cliff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The north side of the lot slopes up to a wooded bluff; in the middle is a grassy meadow. Charles and Ray “fell in love with the meadow” on the site and wanted to integrate the home with the landscape. Because of the geographical area the home was in, they did not want to give up the beauty of the landscape in order to build their home. 6 The site is a flat parcel on Ray and Charles came up otherwise steep land that with various schemes in creates a retaining wall to order to allow lighting into the west. The response to certain spaces at certain the flat plot of land was a times of the day through concrete retaining wall that color, transparency, and ties together the two boxes placement of the wall panels. separated by a courtyard The main steel frame itself that make up the parti of the is purposefully thin in order residence. The two boxes to give the impression of serve two different functions. uninterrupted space going One is for the residence itself from the exterior into the and the other is a studio. interior. Contrast to the cold Both provide double-height spaces at the corners and steel framing that forms the outer ends of both programs. structure, the interior of the This allows for a composition house is warm and comforting that breaks the space up with its wood-block floor and rhythmically, and is read on the soft light penetrating into the exterior of the house with each room through each the exterior courtyard serving day. The Eames House as a double-height space is a beautiful continuation in between both boxes. The of space. The rooms are use of natural materials SITE + Context liberating, flowing into one on the interior bring the another even between residence closer to nature, floors through the double- giving the appearance of the height spaces. Private and house resting softly on the public spaces are not strictly earth. The colors of the solid divided. For example, the exterior panels correspond bedroom on the upper level to the interior functions overlooks the public living that are taking place. The room with a short terrace house is screened by a row that connects the rooms. of eucalyptus trees that run There are no major divisions parallel to the main façade other than the separation of the studio and residence. of the two boxes, which still From that line of trees, the property then slopes merge into one another with downward to the meadow and the courtyard. Large open is left at its natural state and spaces in the interior spaces with all of these thoughtful are purposefully open to landscape features they were not force a certain use into able to contribute to the overall each space but rather them feel of the Eames House. all be multi purpose spaces. 7 MATERIALS

The roof is covered in a gravel material which integrates the natural environment which surrounds the home, and a steel decking forms the underside of the roof, which is flat, and runs perpendicular to the frames. Each bay within the home is also infilled with materials, such as plaster, plywood, asbestos, glass, and pylon. There was a mixture of transparent and translucent glass used throughout the home, while the area in the studio used reinforced glass. Many of the glass areas throughout the home create the exterior walls of the home, allowing for a great amount of transparency and filtration of natural light. The house uses materials and techniques that resulted from the experiences and material shortages caused by the Second World War. It was designed to use pre-fabricated materials that could be ordered from catalogs which emphasizes the idea of mass-production. The main materials are concrete (for the foundation); glass, stucco, wood, asbestos, metal, and synthetics (for the walls); asphalt (for the roof); and metal through the use of a steel frame. The northernmost boundary of the home has a drive edged with a winding brick wall with mortar, designed by Richard Neutra. 8 RELATIONSHIPS SPATIAL The house is divided into two rectangular sections which create a residential area and as well as a studio area. The house was designed for a married couple that made up of two graphic artists, whose children no longer lived at home. The two separate buildings help to keep the living space and the working space separate, but conveniently closely located. The house highly integrates the natural landscape which surrounds it, an aspect that was closely measured by the designers. The materials within the home serve to emphasize the landscape, through the use of wood, a natural element; and glass, an element which allows for extreme transparency, the house almost becomes one with the natural landscape. The walls that face the rear of the house are solid, which allows for a greater amount of privacy within the home. The two separate areas of the home are connected with the use of a courtyard and the interior of the home also connects these two seemingly separate spaces through the use of double height ceilings, which allow for a greater transparency and interconnection.

9 The program outlined specific objectives which included the integration of outdoor and indoor living spaces, the application of the techniques of mass production to integrate into the process of home building, creating a unique design for a home by using prefabricated, standard, and off-the-shelf parts, promoting Modernism through simple form, and trying to avoid referencing any historical styles. The designer and client in this project were one in the same, though the design was meant to be used repeatedly by other American families. The design supports the separation of work and home life. The house is made up of two volumes, one is the residential portion, and the other is the studio. The residential portion accounts for 1,500 square feet of the home, while the studio makes up the remaining 1,000 square feet. The home is made up of 20’ x 7’ 4”x 17’ bays. The house’s emphasis on the studio area demonstrates the importance of the art culture in the designer/client’s life. The rear (westernmost) wall’s solidity provided for a much more private house, while the large glass walls allowed for high integration with the natural surroundings. The spaces, including the courtyard between the two structures were all designed to provide a dialogue between interior spaces and the exterior. PROGRAM 10 Design + Aesthetics The look and feel of the project is displayed throughout the house in unique ways. Panels in black, white, blue, red, and yellow resemble Mondrian paintings that are attached to the prefabricated materials within the house. These panels are placed strategically in order to allow light to flow in to the house, and the trees in front allow for shade to help keep the inside cooler. Their desire to maintain the meadow allowed for the integration of inside and outside through the mixture of the materials and created by the courtyard that is divided between the living area and studio. On the interior, double-height, glass-paneled spaces occupy the outermost portions of each component, which creates alternating positive and negative spaces. Smaller interior spaces, like the upstairs bathrooms and bedrooms, have well placed glazed panels that provide light without compromising privacy. The double height spaces throughout the home have solid rear walls. The design of the house as a whole reflects space, light, and flexibility. There is a rhythm between double height and single height spaces, creating public and private spaces within the living area and the studio, but not strictly. Individual bays are defined by steel frames which have two rows of 4” H-columns that are 20’ apart with a 12” open-web joint that forms top. The rear elevation’s vertical members are partially embedded into 8’ high poured concrete columns. On the exterior of the home, there is a visible diagonal cross-bracing, which provides structural stability for the frames.

11 Technical Drawings

Exploded Isometric

Plans, Elevations, Site Context

12 Long Elevations

West Elevation

Colored Panels Clear Glass Panels

Wooden Panels Black Panels Steel Frame

East Elevation

Clear Glass Panels Metal Panels Steel Frame

White Panel Colored Walls Black Panel Retaining Wall 13 Short Elevations House–North Elevation House–South Elevation White Panel

Clear Glass Panels Clear Glass Panels

White Panel

Retaining Wall

Wood Panels Steel Frame

Studio–North Elevation Studio–South Elevation

Colored Panels

Retaining Wall Wood Panels

White Panel Steel Frame

Steel Frame

14 Floor Plans

Grey Tile Parquet Wood Flooring

White Tile Brick (Courtyard)

15 SUSTAINABILITY Ray and Charles Eames sought to maintain the environmental integrity of the land which they used to build this home, and work with the site in order to incorporate the existing landscape and natural greenery. The Eames House was designed to use prefabricated materials, which allowed material cost to be lowered; and because the home only took about a day and a half to build, the labor costs were also lowered. The design worked with the site to prevent the relocation of any of the trees, mainly the eucalyptus trees, which were native to the area in which the home was built. The inclusion of glass surfaces allowed for much more natural light than most homes, which resulted in lower energy costs. The materials found within the site have remained virtually intact, with the only real change being the maturation of the natural landscape.

16 References http://www.archdaily.com/66302/ad-classics-eames-house-charles-and-ray-eames http://eameshouseresearch.weebly.com/blog http://www.eamesfoundation.org http://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/ca/Eames.pdf http://www.eamesoffice.com/the-work/eames-house-case-study-house-8/ http://inhabitat.com/the-eames-house-sparked-new-thinking-in-modern-living/

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AD Classics: The Entenza House (Case Study #9) / Charles & Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen & Associates

• Written by Luke Fiederer

Nestled in the verdant seaside hills of the Pacific Palisades in southern California, the Entenza House is the ninth of the famous Case Study Houses built between 1945 and 1962. With a vast, open-plan living room that connects to the backyard through floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors, the house brings its natural surroundings into a metal Modernist box, allowing the two to coexist as one harmonious space.

Like its peers in the Case Study Program, the house was designed not only to serve as a comfortable and functional residence, but to showcase how modular steel construction could be used to create low-cost housing for a society still recovering from the the Second World War. The man responsible for initiating the program was John Entenza , Editor of the magazine Arts and Architecture. The result was a series of minimalist homes that employed steel frames and open plans to reflect the more casual and independent way of life that had arisen in the automotive age.[1]

One of the houses built under the program was to be used by Entenza himself. His project was taken on by industrial designer Charles Eames and architect Eero Saarinen , a pair that had already worked collaboratively for years. Eames would design a house not only for Entenza, but for his own family as well; this house, Case Study House #8, would be sited on the same 1½ acre lot as Entenza’s #9.

The two houses shared more than a site. Each house’s frame was composed of the same structural elements: four-inch H-columns supporting twelve-inch open web joists. This structural system allowed the Entenza House to enclose as much space as possible within a minimal frame.[2] The roof above the house is a simple concrete slab, finished with birch strips covering the soffits. Only four of the steel columns are exposed within the house, while the rest are hidden within the walls.[3]

The dominant feature of the Entenza House is its vast, open-plan living room. Almost half the house is given over to it, the intention being to create a versatile public gathering space which could host either a party of almost forty people, or a gathering of only half a dozen. A large fireplace divides the room into both a wide, uninterrupted space and a more intimate one, providing accommodation for groups of either size. This ability to entertain varying numbers of guests was a primary driver behind the design of the house, thanks to the particular professional requirements of Entenza’s journalistic career.[4]

The living room, already a full 36 feet wide, was made to feel even larger by the installation of floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors along the length of the rear wall. The entire rear facade was glazed, connecting the interior space of the living room to the expansive backyard patio. From within the living room, one could see the Pacific Ocean framed by the narrow mullions of the windows and, further away, the trees dotting the backyard.

Aside from the living room, the Entenza House comprises a dining room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a study. In stark contrast to the open and airy living room, the study was specifically requested by Entenza to be entirely closed, with no windows to invite distractions from the outside world.[5]

It is difficult not to make comparisons between the Eames and Entenza Houses; that the two sit within such close proximity of each other makes it almost inescapable. Beyond their shared structural typology, the two houses take radically different approaches to its application. The Eames House is, above all, a celebration of structure – the steel framework was on open display throughout the entire building.

In subtle contrast, the Entenza House makes almost no overt reference to its structural system. Most of the framework is hidden, with the effect that attention is focused on space and views instead of the building itself. It seems likely that Saarinen’s influence was responsible for this more architectural form of design, distinguishing the collaborative effort from Eames’ independent work on his own home next door.[6]

Entenza lived in his Case Study home for only five years after its completion in 1949. Since that time it has been purchased and inhabited by a series of different owners, each of whom has made their own alterations to the original design.[7] While its neighbor the Eames House has become the headquarters for the Eames Foundation, to this day the Entenza House remains a private residence.

A Virtual Look Into Eames and Saarinen's Case Study House #9, The Entenza House This month's interactive 3D floor plan shows a simple and beautiful steel frame structure designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen. The Case Study House Program, initiated by John Entenza in 1945 in Los Angeles, was conceived to offer to the public models of a low cost and modern housing.

• Architects: Charles and Ray Eames , Eero Saarinen and Associates
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  1600 ft²
• Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  1949

[1] Curtis, William. Modern Architecture Since 1900. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1982. p405. [2] McCoy, Esther. Case Study Houses , 1945-1962. Los Angeles : Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc., 1977. p54. [3] Koenig, Gloria. Charles & Ray Eames . Köln: TASCHEN GmbH, 2005. p41. [4] McCoy, p54. [5] Koenig, p42-43. [6] McCoy, p55. [7] Koenig, p43.

The photographs presented in this text of Case Study House No. 9 (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1950, have been reproduced from the J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute's Julius Shulman Photography Archive. While reproduction has been granted, the copyright remains the property of the  J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles.

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The Eames House consists of two glass and steel rectangular boxes: one is a residence; one, a working studio. They are nestled into a hillside, backed by an eight foot tall by 200 foot long concrete retaining wall. The structures are aligned along a central axis with a court on the ocean side of the House, a court between the two structures, and a parking / utility spot on the Studio far side. At 17 feet tall, each has a mezzanine balcony overlooking a large central room. Public and private spaces are naturally defined by what is easily visible.

When Charles and Ray were home, they would open the curtains and doors and windows. We do too. With doors open, the patios and structures became a long, unified space for living.

Materials:  You can see the use of the off-the-shelf components, or the new plywood and plastic materials that the Eameses developed for their furniture. Read more about the materials individually here .

Help us share the Eameses’ joy and rigor with future visitors, so they may have a direct experience of Charles and Ray’s approach to life and work.

Charles & Ray Eames. The Power of Design

30.09.2017 – 25.02.2018.

Vitra Design Museum

The exhibition in the main building of the Vitra Design Museum offers a comprehensive overview of the complete oeuvre and shared life of this husband-and-wife team. Featuring a large selection of original works – including films, photographs, furniture, drawings, sculptures, paintings, textiles, graphic design, models and stage props – the retrospective illustrates the congenial synergy between the personalities of Charles and Ray Eames, which formed the foundation of a lifetime of work by what was arguably the most successful design duo in history.

The first section of the exhibition documents the beginnings of the collaboration between Charles and Ray Eames. Trained as an architect, Charles Eames possessed exceptional technical skills, while Ray Eames née Kaiser had developed an infallible sense of colour, composition and form during her studies in painting. The two first met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, married one year later and opened the Eames Office at 901 Washington Boulevard in Venice, California, in 1947. At this location, which remained in operation until 1988, the Eameses and their staff developed and produced hundreds of commissioned works as well as their own, often experimental projects – from early products for the US military to films, exhibitions and interiors. Moving effortlessly between disciplines, Charles and Ray Eames worked together with many leading figures of their time, such as Saul Steinberg, Alexander Girard, Billy Wilder, George Nelson, Richard Buckminster Fuller, Eero Saarinen and Isamu Noguchi.

Charles and Ray Eames gained an international reputation with their furniture designs, which are displayed in the second area of the exhibition. They initially focused their efforts on plywood, exploring the limits of its capacity to be moulded into complex shapes. In the late 1940s, they began experimenting with the increasingly popular material of plastic, creating the legendary fibreglass chairs that soon became a common fixture in many households and public spaces. Over the following years, pieces that are now regarded as milestones of 20th-century furniture design were produced: for example, the Eames Lounge Chair, the Aluminium Group and the series of Wire Chairs and bases. The Eameses paid meticulous attention to every detail of their designs from start to finish, from the development process – which was pursued in close collaboration with the Herman Miller company and often spanned a period of several years – to the design of advertising photos, print materials and showrooms.

A further section of the exhibition is devoted to the Eameses’ interiors and buildings. The couple was fascinated by folk art, which they avidly collected on their travels and employed in numerous interiors together with their own designs, composing intricate arrangements. A prime example is Charles and Ray Eames’s own home, built in 1949 as part of the Case Study House Program, which aimed to demonstrate innovative forms of construction and living. In the Eames House, Charles and Ray orchestrated the intermingling of work and private life: this is where they photographed their own designs, shot films and received guests – giving rise to a mythical aura that was soon associated with the Eameses’ work. They also designed houses for John Entenza, the editor of Arts & Architecture magazine and initiator of the Case Study Houses, for Max de Pree, and for the filmmaker Billy Wilder.

The most famous furnishings and buildings designed by Charles and Ray Eames were created in a relatively short period of about 15 years. Beginning in the late 1950s, their attention increasingly shifted to exhibitions, films and multimedia installations, securing them a place as pioneers of the information age. Another section of the current exhibition is devoted to these works. The Eameses created several of the very first multimedia shows combining video and audio, such as »Glimpses of the USA«, a film projected simultaneously onto seven large screens at the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow, or the 22-screen slide show »Think«, which was presented in the IBM Pavilion designed by the Eameses in collaboration with Eero Saarinen for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. In 1971, they conceived and designed »A Computer Perspective«, an exhibition on the history of the computer that presciently anticipated the revolutionary effects of digitalisation.

This retrospective exhibition encompasses more than 500 objects and exhibits, including extremely rare plywood sculptures created by Ray Eames, models of the Eames House and the IBM Pavilion, a reproduction of the room installation created by the Eameses for »An Exhibition For Modern Living«, and media installations such as »Glimpses of the USA« or »G.E.M.« Lenders to the exhibition include the Library of Congress, Washington D.C., the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Eames Office and many other museums and private collections. The presentation in Weil am Rhein is based on an exhibition of the Barbican Centre, London, and was augmented and newly staged for the sole showing in German-speaking countries.

The exhibition »Charles & Ray Eames. The Power of Design« is curated and organized by Barbican Centre, London, in collaboration with Eames Office and supported by Terra Foundation.