We are reading selected sections from the book Design Studies – A Reader. It is a collection of essays that cover a great range of topics.

Our first two sections are on the iconic Eames Lounge Chair vis-à-vis the Barcalounger and Michael Graves and his relationship with Alessi and Target Corp., respectively.

The first essay, written by Wava Carpenter called ‘The Eames Lounge- The Difference Between a Design Icon and Mere Furniture’, begins by giving a brief history of the lounge chair and gives examples of articles and events, like the inclusion in many permanent art collections, that help easily solidify the reputation of the chair as a deign icon.

I was happy to read this article as I have felt that the distinction between these two chairs as emblematic of the cultural divide between those that consider materials and aesthetics when choosing furniture and those who don’t.

The Eames Lounge is regarded as a classic piece of modern design. Though, it is the least modern of the chairs designed by Charles and Ray Eames, due to the fact that the surfaces are soft, the handwork involved in manufacturing is notable (ideally the design should prevent this level of involvement) as well as the fact that the use of plywood was not innovative.

Due to the choice of materials and the handwork involved in making each chair and ottoman, the Eames Lounge was and remains a very expensive chair.

The Barcalounger on the other hand, is not regarded as an iconic chair. Its design mission was to provide comfort to the working class, TV watching man, and little more. Its design aspirations were modest and unsophisticated.

The Eames Lounge continues to be reassessed and praised for achieving its design objectives so well. Yet not all voices have been in praise of this chair. Some have felt that it, as well as most other pieces in the modern canon, are outside the reach of the majority of consumers. This coupled with their inclusion in museum collections underscores the exclusivity that this type of furniture seems to convey. While the Barcalounger wound up in many more homes in the post-war era.

I think the most important passage in this essay was this: “Of course, the Eames are still respected for the strong ideological convictions that underlie their work; this respect (heroizing) facilitates the projection of ideas onto the Lounge, because we know it was the product of a well-considered program. Clearly it remains important that furniture be attributable to an identifiable maker, so the design can be seen as deliberate and therefore encapsulate an intentional narrative.”.

The second essay ‘The Architect and the Teakettle” by Shirley Teresa Wajda, gives the history of Michael Graves involvement in product design for Alessi and then Target

The article explores Grave’s involvement in design through the programmatic language of architecture as well as his belief in imbuing narrative into objects through the use of figurative design and colorful decorative elements.

Graves work for Target was not well-received by Alberto Alessi who felt that it too closely resembled the work he had done for Alessi. Hi chief lament was that this work for Target lacked the same authenticity that his early work had.

Somewhat ironically, Target had admitted to ripping off designs from Graves when they hired him to design for them.

Regardless of the convoluted nature of these relationships, the consumer was introduced to a new way of viewing product design. It is up to the designer to focus the lens.