Reviewer: Elise Portale, social media manager
Model tested: Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman
The details: You don’t need to be a hardcore AD fan to know that the Eames Chair has appeared in countless incredible homes over the years. Do a Google image search for “midcentury-modern design” and you’ll see the iconic silhouette in multiple frames. First developed by lifelong couple and design partners Charles and Ray Eames in 1956, the lounge chair was the duo’s interpretation of a 19th-century club chair—designed to resemble a worn first baseman’s mitt and made of high-quality materials like supple leather, wood veneer, and cast aluminum.
“The Eameses really changed the way that people considered what a chair is supposed to look like,” says Amy Auscherman, Herman Miller’s head of archives and brand heritage. And while details like its upholstered cushions signal inspiration from earlier, more traditional furniture designs, features like the molded plywood and shock mount technology made the chair revolutionary at the time. The point is, ever since the set debuted with Herman Miller in 1956, it has been a staple of modern design—and there’s a very good reason why, 65 years after the original Eames lounger debuted at the Arlene Francis Home show, we’re still talking about it.
Sit test: Is it comfortable?
I have a confession to make: I wanted this chair to be bad. The iconic Eames design is so beloved, so coveted, a part of me really hoped it wouldn’t live up to all the hype. It has a great look, sure, but was it really so much better than any other chair? Cynicism be damned, that lounge sure is comfortable. In terms of ergonomics, the seat is permanently tilted back in a way that is almost distressingly low to the ground, but when I threw my legs up on that ottoman and let myself actually sink in, I felt as if I had never properly enjoyed a chair before in my life. Everything has been considered—sit up and enjoy a morning latte, sink down and rest your head on the rounded plush headrest, stretch out, curl in, sit sideways, swivel, rock back and forth. The Eameses built the impossible: A chair that’s comfortable no matter how you want to sit in it. I used to just flop on the sofa to chill and watch TikTok during my spare time. But since my new 65-year-old roommate moved in, I find myself with a new hobby: Sitting just to sit in it. It’s remarkable.
Is it durable and practical in a modern home?
You know what you don’t usually see in photos of homes with the lounge and ottoman? Kids and dogs running around. And I get it: I’m a little wary of spills and drool on a grown-up piece of furniture like this too. But also, it definitely seems built well enough to take it—and is soft enough it probably won’t hurt anyone too much if they were to trip over it. Care, as with most things, is up to you to either invest in or not, though Herman Miller has recommended annual adjustments and cleanings. (Mostly, they recommend specific cleaners for the upholstery and tightening some bolts from time to time.) Ultimately, the leather upholstery feels pretty sturdy and handsome with a little patina (the seat and ottoman cushions are also interchangeable, with the idea that even wear can be created between the two). But if you get something like mohair, just know that dog, kid, or takeout stains might be a bigger deal to remove.