An illustrated reference to the original fiberglass shell chair colors produced by Herman Miller, including color history, identifying characteristics, and examples from the vintage market.

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Why collect Early Eames?

Poul Kjærholm saw something in the work of Charles and Ray Eames that transcended materials, geography, and style. What he recognized was not a particular chair, but an approach to design itself.

Kjærholm is associated with steel, leather, and an extraordinary sense of restraint. Charles and Ray Eames are remembered for plywood, fiberglass, and their embrace of industrial production. The furniture is different. The underlying philosophy is remarkably similar.

Like Kjærholm, the Eames duo approached design as a process of continual refinement. Materials evolved, manufacturing improved, and successful designs were revisited rather than preserved unchanged. Their work reflects a belief that good design emerges through observation, experimentation, and an ongoing search for better solutions.

This may explain why their work resonated so strongly with designers across Europe. What they shared was not a style, but a way of thinking.

Viewed this way, an early fiberglass shell chair occupies the same conversation as a Kjærholm chair or a Prouvé table. Each represents a distinct response to the possibilities of modern production. Each reveals a process of experimentation and refinement. Each reflects the belief that design is not a matter of decoration, but of solving problems thoughtfully.

Perhaps this explains why Charles and Ray Eames continue to attract the attention of collectors today. Their work rewards close study. Every generation reveals new decisions. Every revision leaves evidence of a design in motion.

Kjærholm understood this well. What he admired was not simply the furniture itself, but the thinking behind it. For collectors, that distinction remains as relevant today as it was seventy years ago.