Eames DAX Chair, 1950

Eames DAX chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames 1950, Zenith Plastics.

The Eames’ first used fibreglass cloth and plastic resin material as screens in their Case Study House of 1949. They worked with Zenith Plastics, a specialist firm to develop a plastic version of a design for stamped metal chair. The first models were exhibited in the 1950 MOMA exhibition Low Cost Furniture Design. The tooling and engineering costs were extremely high, and chairs were hand-made. The early examples were reinforced through an embedded rope edge to the seat.

Through conviction and with further development of the production processes a highly versatile, low cost armchair shell was achieved. This new design offered high comfort levels and durability without the need for upholstery. The use of rubber mounts beneath the chairs provided a discrete fixing and flexibility for a host of base options to be combined with the fibreglass seat.

After the first year of production Herman Miller took over the manufacture of fibreglass shells from Zenith Plastics.

DAX (Dining Armchair X-base) was a model aimed dining or desk usage, with a minimal 4-leg base, constructed with overlapped steel cross beneath. The chair offered is an early Zenith example with rope edge and large shock mounts. The X-base is constructed in solid steel rod. The colour is documented as ‘Lemon Yellow’ and demonstrates high levels of translucency as was the character of the early, hand-made fibreglass shells. The shock mounts are clearly seen through the shell. This chair was originally purchased in USA.

Dimensions:
62w x 71d x 45.5/80cmh