EA208 Swivel Armchair

Following closely on the heels of the Intermediate Chair and Eames Chaise, 1969’s Soft Pad Group resolved some of the problems of the former while building on the design developments of the latter. A possibly apocryphal story behind the group’s origin asserts that while setting up for a lunch on the patio outside 901, staff member Sam Passalacqua draped a loose padded top for the Chaise that was then in development over a Aluminum Group chair with torn upholstery. True or not, the tale captures the synthesis underlying the design: the structure and componentry of the Aluminum Group combined with soft upholstered cushions that relate to the Chaise. Because the Aluminum Group had already been reengineered for office use in 1967, most of the development for the Soft Pad Group was centered around the textile membrane and series of attached, upholstered pads. The relationship between the two furniture groups reflects the Eameses’ belief that a design was never final, and could always be improved upon. “Is it possible to change the character of a Charles Eames Chair?” the original product brochure asks. “Sure. When Charles Eames does it himself.”