The Eames Lounge Chair Story: From 1956 TV Studio to UK Living Rooms

Most furniture becomes famous slowly, if at all. This chair became famous in a single evening. In 1956, a lounge chair and ottoman were unveiled on American live television, and within a generation the silhouette had travelled from a TV studio set into boardrooms, film sets, university libraries and — eventually — into UK living rooms like yours. This is the story of how that happened, and more usefully, what the history tells you when you are standing in front of a chair today trying to decide whether it is worth buying. If you are mid-decision right now, our complete Eames style lounge chair buying guide covers the practical side, and you can browse the nine veneer finishes we sell today while you read.

A chair designed for a friend, revealed on live TV

Charles and Ray Eames had spent the 1940s perfecting moulded plywood — the technique behind their 1946 LCW chair, whose low, armless shape still anchors our occasional chairs collection — and by the mid-1950s they wanted something softer: a chair with, in their words, the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's glove. By most accounts there was a personal motive too: a comfortable refuge for their friend, the film director Billy Wilder, to rest between takes. The result, models 670 (chair) and 671 (ottoman), was introduced to the public on a US television home show in 1956. Television was the new showroom, and the chair was made for it: photogenic from every angle, instantly recognisable in black and white. The V&A holds an early rosewood 670 in its collection, and records that comfort was the brief: the Eameses started by asking which material gives the most comfortable resilience.

From plywood experiments to the 670 and 671

The 1956 chair was not a sudden invention; it was the summit of a decade of work. Three curved moulded-veneer shells — headrest, backrest and seat — carried on rubber-and-metal shock mounts, so the chair flexes with you instead of against you. Deeply padded cushions sat on top rather than being stretched across a frame, which is why the cushions look (and are) removable. That construction list is still the yardstick for every version sold today, including inspired-by builds: seven-layer moulded shells, shock mounts rather than brackets, and cushions that lift off.

Why it became the most copied chair in history

Three forces compounded. First, media: the chair appeared in offices of powerful people on screen and in print for sixty years, becoming visual shorthand for arrived. Second, comfort: unlike most status furniture, it is genuinely, durably comfortable — a reclined posture, a 42 cm seat height, an ottoman that turns sitting into resting. Third, scarcity of the real thing: licensed production has always been expensive, so demand far outstripped the number of households that could justify it. Wherever those three forces meet, copies follow. That is not a judgement on the copies; it is a market fact, and it is why the honest question for a UK buyer was never "original or not?" but "is this version built to the 1956 standard?" — which is exactly what our original-vs-reproduction checklist answers in six checks.

The six-decade timeline that explains today's prices

What the history means when you buy today

The past is only useful if it changes what you do at the checkout, so here it is plainly. The 1956 design bequeathed four testable features: a moulded multi-layer veneer shell, rubber-and-metal shock mounts, removable deeply-padded cushions, and a reclined posture on a swivel base. Any chair — licensed or inspired-by — that shows you those four things in photographs and print is telling you the truth about its build. Any chair that hides them is asking you to trust a silhouette. On the aesthetic side, the early rosewood shells are the reason collectors still chase dark, figured grain; if you want that period-correct drama in a modern build, picking a veneer and leather pairing is where that decision gets made, with rosewood and dark rosewood sitting closest to the 1950s originals in spirit.

Where Habitat Furnishes fits in this story

We sell inspired-by interpretations, and we say so on every page. What the history obliges us to do is publish the inheritance: seven-layer shells, shock mounts, Italian aniline leather, dimensions to the centimetre, and prices that sit honestly between budget copies and licensed production. The 1956 chair earned its reputation by being photographed, tested and sat in for seventy years. We think the fair way to sell its silhouette in 2026 is to let you inspect ours the same way.

FAQ

When was the Eames lounge chair designed?

The chair and ottoman (models 670 and 671) were introduced in 1956 and unveiled to the public on US television the same year, after several years of development from the Eameses' earlier moulded-plywood work.

Who manufactures the licensed original?

Licensed production has run since the late 1950s through Herman Miller in the United States and Vitra in Europe. Licensed sets start around £6,760 in the UK at the time of writing (checked 27 September 2026).

Why is the licensed original so expensive?

Licensed production combines hand-finished veneer work, aniline leathers, skilled assembly and seven decades of brand stewardship. You are paying for provenance as much as materials — which is precisely why a transparent inspired-by build at £799–£945 has become a legitimate alternative market.

Why do so many Eames style chairs exist in the UK?

The design's fame made it the most reproduced lounge chair in the world. UK retailers, us included, sell clearly labelled inspired-by versions, and UK design law changes in 2016 made honest labelling the norm rather than the exception.

What has changed since 1956?

Early shells favoured Brazilian rosewood; later production shifted to walnut and other veneers as trade rules tightened, and modern ranges expanded leather options. The core construction — moulded shells, shock mounts, removable cushions — has not changed.

How do I check a chair follows the 1956 construction?

Run the six checks: ply layers at the shell edge, shock mounts under the cushions, proportions, leather surface, base weight and labelling. Our original-vs-reproduction checklist walks through each one.

Which finish looks closest to the 1950s originals?

Rosewood and dark rosewood shells carry the dramatic figuring associated with early production; walnut is the closest widely available modern equivalent, and the most forgiving in UK rooms.

Is an inspired-by chair worth buying?

If the build publishes its specifications and passes the six checks, yes — you receive the 1956 posture and construction logic at a fraction of licensed pricing. If it hides its specifications, the history is the only thing you are buying.

Written by Kamil, Product Curator at Habitat Furnishes. Kamil checks every supplier listing against its spec sheet and answers every customer question about ply, leather and dimensions personally. Last reviewed: 30 September 2026.

Habitat Furnishes sells Eames style, inspired-by furniture and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Herman Miller, Vitra or the Eames Office.