EC176 Loose Cushion Armchair (Glides)

This is one of two Loose Cushion Armchairs that a church in West Michigan purchased in the 1970s for use in their conference room. It was acquired and added to our collection in 2021 after four decades of regular use and its excellent condition is a testament to the Eameses’ commitment to quality. Two different textiles were selected for the chairs’ upholstery: a brown Naugahyde for the shell, and a coordinating brown Milnilo for the cushion. The pieces’ provenance fits the Eameses’ vision for the design, which they intended to be used in a variety of public settings. When marketing Eames furniture, Herman Miller often communicated these possible uses to customers through carefully staged photography—much of which was done by the Eameses themselves over the course of their tenure with the company. Their final commercial shoot for Herman Miller occurred in October 1971, just prior to the launch of the Loose Cushion chair. Variations of the design are shown within the bounding framework of an Action Office 2 installation, replete with Girard’s Environmental Enrichment Panels. In one setting, four loose cushion chairs surround an Eames Universal Base coffee table carefully staged with architectural plans, a plexiglas cube, photographic prints, and (with a knowing wink) what look to be Charles’s own black-rimmed glasses.