Brown Leather Brazilian Rosewood Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman

In 1977, Ray and Charles Eames selected and gifted this lounge chair and ottoman, along with several other Eames pieces, to Charles Eames’s goddaughter, the daughter of his sister Adele Franks. Their choice of chocolate-brown leather paired with Brazilian rosewood is notable, given the more common specification of black leather for this model. It’s a handsome combination of materials.

All pieces Ray and Charles gifted are now in the Institute’s collection.

This example also marks the end of a material era: by 1983, Brazilian rosewood production had been discontinued due to emerging environmental restrictions, making earlier examples such as this increasingly significant in the history of the design.