Eileen Gray was born in County Wexford, Ireland in 1879. She spent her childhood in London and was among the first women to be admitted to the Slade School of Art where she took up painting in 1898 before undergoing an apprenticeship in a London lacquer workshop. She moved to Paris in 1902 and after further training in Japanese lacquer work she quickly established herself as one of the leading designers of lacquered screens and decorative panels.

During the 1920s and 1930s she became one of the leading exponents of the revolutionary new theories of design and construction. She held her first exhibitions at this time and worked closely with many of the outstanding figures of the modern movement, including Le Corbusier and J J P Oud. Well to the fore of this group she exhibited chrome, steel tube and glass furniture in 1925, the same year as Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer and well before Le Corbusier.

After the war, and up to her death in 1976, Eileen Gray continued to work on both major architectural projects and on a number of smaller furniture designs. Her highly original and daring designs anticipated many of today's design trends.

One of Eileen Gray's last tasks in the early 1970s was to work with Zeev Aram on the introduction of her designs onto the world market. In 1973 Eileen Gray granted the worldwide rights to manufacture and distribute her designs to Aram Designs Ltd, London.

Aram holds the worldwide head license for Eileen Gray designs, and is the only UK source for the authentic products. Aram permanently stocks many of her most famous designs including the Monte Carlo sofa, the E1027 Adjustable Table, and the Bibendum and Non-Conformist chairs. Aram has also granted a license to ClassiCon of Germany to produce and market Eileen Gray designs in certain markets around the world.