Prior to World War II, American furniture designers looked to Europe for their inspiration, style, and vocabulary. Europeans had always determined the cutting-edge and the contemporary, while Americans tended to avoid the development of their own unique sensibilities. And then came... [more]

Prior to World War II, American furniture designers looked to Europe for their inspiration, style, and vocabulary. Europeans had always determined the cutting-edge and the contemporary, while Americans tended to avoid the development of their own unique sensibilities. And then came Charles and Ray Eames, the first designers to work in a specifically American style. Charles Eames invented a method for bending plywood into complicated curves, a technique that defines Post-War American furniture. Eames met fellow innovator Eero Saarinen at the Cranbrook Academy (America's answer to Bauhaus), where the two cooperated on several projects. An architect and furniture designer, Saarinen is best known for the "Womb Chair," an enveloping piece that offers the ultimate comfort and security to its user. Both Saarinen and Eames considered the relationship between the chair's shape and the sitter's body, and their designs reflect that interplay. This interdependency -- along with simplicity, pure form, and playfulness -- have become salient characteristics of Post-War American furniture. Embodying America's playful approach to furniture design, George Nelson designed two pieces that are commonly associated with 1950s furniture: the "Coconut Chair" and the "Marshmallow Sofa." Both pieces added a touch of frivolity to Modernist tendencies while simultaneuosly respecting their materials and form. Nelson, Saarinen, and the Eameses recognized the value and potential of quality, cost-efficient designs that highlight America's love of whimsy. [show less]