Turquoise Limited Edition Eames Fiberglass Side Chair

There are few icons of Mid Century Modern furniture design more recognisable than the Eames Shell chairs. Known by a series of acronyms that relate to three key elements - for example, DSR: Dining height Side chair Rod base or DAW: Dining height Arm chair Wood base - these chairs are as popular today as they were when first launched on the market in 1950 as the very first mass-produced moulded chairs in the history of furniture.

Charles and Ray Eames had been working on the concept of a one-piece seat shell for a number of years before being able to present the Fiberglass Chairs in 1950. The first chairs to have a seat and backrest in the form of a single shell have since established themselves among the most significant furniture designs of the twentieth century. The Eameses conceived this ground-breaking design against the backdrop of a changing society: fibreglass had never previously been used for furniture, and the lightweight chairs with their organic shape and unfamiliar use of colour at the time injected a new dynamism into households – and soon after to offices and public spaces.

For Summer 2023, Vitra is reintroducing this distinctive colour with the launch of the Turquoise Eames Fiberglass Side Chair. Restricted to just 500 shells globally with only 40 available in the UK, this limited edition is available in two base versions: DSR with a black wire rod base or DSW with legs in dark maple wood.

The colour palette of the Fiberglass Chairs was continually expanded over the years, with each hue undergoing a thorough development and testing phase before it was added to the range. One of these colours was Eames Turquoise, which was never a standard colour but reserved for orders exceeding 200 chairs. This fresh vibrant shade was therefore primarily used in libraries, auditoriums and other large public spaces, which explains why versions with bases suited to home settings are rarely to be found on the vintage market today, making this limited edition truly a collector's item.

Main image: Staged at the Eames House, Pacific Palisades, California © Eames Foundation, 2023 © Vitra / Photo: Florian Böhm (Studio AKFB) / Eames House © Eames Foundation, 2023