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Walnut Stool, 411

1977

This walnut stool was one of several originally designed for the Time & Life Building at Rockefeller Center in New York and later put into production by Herman Miller. The stools formed part of a larger commission; in 1960, the Eames Office was tasked with designing three lobbies in the new Time & Life Building, and the stools were paired with a luxurious lobby chair. At first glance, the wooden stools may seem at odds with the aluminum-and-leather chairs, yet the Eameses often embraced juxtaposition in interior design, and Ray’s skills in decorative arrangement brought cohesion to diverse materials and styles on countless occasions. Moreover, in some ways the stools were just as “modern” as the chairs; though their appearance calls to mind the handcraft of woodworking, they were machine-made and mass-produced. This fact of their production, along with their simple geometric forms, undoubtedly qualifies them as modern.

  • Manufacturer: Herman Miller, Inc.
  • Medium:Walnut
  • Dimensions:15 x 13 x 13 in. (38.1 x 33 x 33 cm)
  • Design Date:1960
  • Item:2019.1.13