Designers

• Charles and Ray Eames created the first Eames lounge chair and ottoman in 1956. In March of that year, the chair made its national debut on a television program, the "Home" show.
  
  

Components

• The original chair and ottoman were built on a base of molded plywood covered with a wood veneer. They were then upholstered in leather.
  
  

Original Veneers

• Originally, the Eames chair and ottoman were made using Brazilian rosewood veneers, but in 1991 Herman Miller switched to walnut and cherry veneers because of concerns about rain forest resource depletion.
  
  

Rosewood's Return

• In 2006, as part of the 50th-anniversary celebration of the Eames chair and ottoman, the Herman Miller company introduced a new veneer, santos palisander, which brought the rosewood look back without raising any environmental concerns.
  
  

Museum Exhibition

• The Museum of Arts and Design in New York opened an exhibit titled "The Eames Lounge Chair: An Icon of Modern Design" in May 2006. At the exhibit, visitors were able to sit in one of the original Eames lounge chairs and learn more about the chair's history and components.