An Eames-pressive childhood

We were fortunate enough to be part of an intimate dinner hosted by CWC Interiors to welcome and chat with Ray & Charles Eames’ grandson, the artist Eames Demetrios (in pink), who is the Director of the Eames Office and Chairman of the Eames Foundation. For architects, designers, and artists worldwide, this industrial design couple is like our “design godparents” as their influence on interior design, furniture, graphic design, art and film, can be felt deeply all throughout different disciplines since the 1950’s.

He talked about his childhood memories playing with the plywood elephants at his grandparents’ house (if you studied design in any form ever, you know this house) and how they were scared to break it but Grandpa Charles told them, “It’s okay, go play with them, they’re TOYS”.

Below is the iconic Eames house, pic grabbed from the internet, that we hope we could visit one day! A warehouse type dwelling (the windows were literally taken from old factories), where Ray & Charles would not only raise a family but also design, make prototypes of their furniture, experiment and create art.

He signed our book, “Essential Eames” and he wrote page numbers as dedication. One of the pages that he marked read, “At all times, love and discipline have led to a beautiful environment and a good life”. How very inspiring, indeed.

Only people who have been living under a rock could not have known or seen furniture produced by this beloved design couple, for their pieces have been mass-produced and used everywhere you can imagine: homes, cafes, bars, theaters, school auditoriums, government buildings, and other institutions. They believed that well–designed furniture and products should not just be for the elite but accessible to everyone, and they once famously declared that a well designed chair was something that did not “feel designed” at all. Produced in the 1940’s/50’s, 75 yrs later their chairs still endure. Here are some of their famous pieces:

What a chill way to end a hectic week with some of the Grupo Santamaria designers 💛
Thank you very much for this experience, Charissa Nogar of CWC Interiors!

Know more about the Eames foundation HERE.