The shell chair that we know today was originally supposed to be made out of plywood, which incidentally are now in production by Herman Miller today. In the 1940’s the Eameses were trying to create a single-shell plywood form, but had to settle for separate molded plywood panels for the back and seat, this design would later become the Eames Molded Plywood Chair.

Two years later, they produced a single form shell chair made out of metal for the “International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design.” With the chair taking second place in the competition, however the prototype was too costly to produce. Charles and Ray then began looking into new materials such as plastic reinforced with fiberglass, a material that could be molded with ease and produced cost effectively. The shell chair was born! First released in 1950 and became the first mass produced plastic chair.

Through the years, color, height, base variations, and choices of upholstery have changed and been discontinued. This results in some designs being rarer than others and some colors a lot more desirable.

In this section you will find our current selection of Eames Fiberglass Chairs!