Side Rail 2

Every Eames Aluminum Group chair features two aluminum side rails that establish its silhouette and provide structural support. A different shape is used for each model, and the various side rails’ distinct angles of curvature allow for a range of seated postures across the collection, from upright to reclined—this one would have been used for the collection’s reclining chair. However, the side members do not accomplish this alone. Each has a deep groove that runs along its length and into which the seating pad is inserted, and the holes that perforate this side rail indicate where screws would have been used to further secure the textile. Once attached, the side rails are inverted—essentially flipped inside-out— to hold the seat in tension. This combination of two materials, metal and textile, was a significant step away from the Eameses’ prior work creating systems of furniture of standardized parts in wood and plastic, which embraced the problem of producing seating from a single, molded material.