EA423 Eames Soft Pad Ottoman

When, in 1973, the Soft Pad Group was extended to include a reclining lounge chair with a much more recumbent posture than the earlier fixed lounge chair, an ottoman was also added to the line. The design for the ottoman closely follows that of the Eames Aluminum Group, the furniture family from which the Soft Pad Group was largely derived. In designing this ottoman, the Eameses carefully translated the qualities of the Soft Pad Group chairs to a simpler structure. The ottoman featured the same base as the group’s chairs, the four-pronged Eames Universal Base, which was connected to a single cast aluminum stretcher. This stretcher held a piece of Nilo fabric taut between two side pieces, also made of cast aluminum. A single cushion was attached to the Nilo surface, providing users with a generously cushioned footrest. Although it was intended primarily for use with the Soft Pad Lounge Chair, the Soft Pad Ottoman was sold individually, so it could in fact be purchased for use with any of the Soft Pad chair models. And regardless of which particular chair the ottoman was paired with, its use would prompt a shift in the sitter’s position in the chair, encouraging them to recline and relax, and produce in the words of a 1977 promotional brochure, a “chaise-like character.” This example comes from the Eames Office at 901 Washington Boulevard.