Little Scraps Box

This box and its contents give a sense of the scrupulous manner in which Ray collected, organized, and stored bits and pieces of material inspiration, from fine papers to handwritten notes to fabrics, as is the case here. The box, which once held Parliament cigarettes, was re-purposed by Ray as a container for what she labeled “Little Scraps” and stored inside a drawer that also held larger paper pieces. Her desire to gather and preserve these snippets is unsurprising given the careful attention paid to paper and textiles throughout the Eameses’ work and life. From Ray’s early textile patterns to the selection of upholstery for many of their furniture designs, the Eameses approached fabric as an aspect of design that, like form and construction, merited careful consideration. This attitude extended to their personal lives, as well; their clothing was mostly custom-made and Ray kept samples of their home’s curtain fabric so that it could always be replaced with the same design.