PSCA-36 Secretarial Adjustable Side Chair

This chair was introduced in 1968, almost two decades after the Eameses’ groundbreaking molded fiberglass shell chairs made their debut. An initial foray into a “secretarial” version of the chair entailed adding two screw-in cushions to the shell to encourage a more upright posture and accommodate long-term sitting. The second revision similarly prioritized comfort, but it eliminated the need for discrete attachments by fusing polyurethane foam padding to the shell’s entire inner surface. This padding was sandwiched between the fiberglass shell and various kinds of upholstery—in this case, charcoal-colored Naugahyde was used. The shell is mounted on an Eames Contract Base, a model used for various Eames chairs since the 1950s. The base’s four blades are attached to wheels and the shell swivels on its height-adjustable column—all of which makes for an adaptable and dynamic chair that is well-suited to the office. The design, however, was also available without wheels, swivel, or height adjustment—these options reflected the Eameses’ commitment to producing designs that could be customized to meet customers’ diverse needs.