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Vitra

Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR

by Charles & Ray Eames, 1950 — from 465,00 €
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Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR

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465,00 € *
More than 5 x in stock, delivery time 1 working day (country of delivery Germany)
3 % advance payment discount*: 451,05 € (Save 13,95 €)

Today an endearing classic among designer chairs, in 1950 the Eames DAR was revolutionary. Designed by Ray and Charles Eames and produced by Vitra the DAR is part of a family of chairs in which a one-piece plastic shell can be combined with different bases. The multi-functional Vitra Eames plastic armchairs and side chairs were the first plastic chairs that could be produced in series. Since 2024 Vitra has manufactured the Eames Plastic Chair seat shells from resource-saving recycled material.

Details

Product type Multi-purpose chair
Dimensions

Without upholstery / with seat upholstery / with full upholstery



Dimensions in mm
Colours Seat shell, new colours 2024
17 Emerald RE
92 Citron RE
85 Cotton white RE

Seat shell
12 Deep black RE
56 Granite grey RE
48 Forest RE
34 Mustard RE
43 Rusty orange RE
03 Poppy red RE
41 Pale rose RE
11 Pebble RE
24 Light grey RE
23 Ice grey RE
04 White

Seat cushion / full upholstery, Hopsak
66 Nero
05 Dark grey
77 Nero / forest
73 Petrol / moor brown
22 Navy blue / dark grey
82 Ice blue / moor brown
23 Nero / ivory
80 Warmgrey / moor brown
88 Cognac / ivory
65 Coral / poppyred
19 Mustard / dark grey
18 Mustard / ivory
16 Yellow / ivory
87 Ivory / forest
86 Mint / forest
20 Green / ivory
81 Ice blue / ivory
79 Warmgrey / ivory

(Further Hopsak colours available on request)
Base
Basic dark
Chrome
White

Material Base: steel wire with bracing
Seat cushion/full upholstery: Hopsak (100% polyamide)
Seat shell: dyed-through polypropylene (white) or dyed-through RE plastic (all other colours)

Please note:
The RE plastic employed for the Eames Plastic Chair seat shells is composed of granules of recycled plastics from the German "Yellow Sack" packaging recycling system and approx. 10% fibreglass material to achieve the necessary rigidity. The familiar colours of the seat shells do not change as a result of this material change. However, with the lighter seat shell colours tiny pigments of differently coloured granules may be visible upon closer inspection. These pigments do not represent a defect, but are a feature of the new sustainable material. Below is a comparative example of the colour "ice grey" in high magnification - the new material is on the right.
Variants Optionally available with seat upholstery or full upholstery, edge reinforcement (piping) see picture.
Available with either a powder coated or chrome plated base
Optionally available with glides for carpets or felt pads for hard floors.
White frames have white glides as standard, all other frame colours are supplied with black glides.
Functions & Properties Non-stackable
Suitable for outdoor use (Version with basic dark or white coated base)
Care For cleaning the plastic elements always use a soft, damp cloth and a mild detergent.
Dust and fluff can be vacuumed, marks are best treated with a soft, damp cloth and a mild detergent.

Professional cleaning should be undertaken with the chair fully assembled and using upholstery foam or with a professional cleaning machine
Awards & Museums Permanent collection, MoMA, New York
Cerificates EN 13761 (Office furniture - Visitor chairs)
EN 1728 (Furniture - Seating - Test methods for the determination of strength and durability)
Sustainability The Vitra Eames Plastic Armchair is:
100% recyclable
contains up to 14% recycled material

Vitra conform to:
ISO 9001: 2008 (Quality management systems)
ISO 14001: 2004 (Environmental management systems)

Since the beginning of the production year 2024 the Eames Plastic Chair seat shells have been been manufactured from a recycled material, the so-called RE plastic. RE plastic material consists of granules of recycled plastics from the German “Yellow Sack” packaging recycling system. This new material is not only recycled but 100% recyclable, In addition its production generates significantly lower climate-damaging emissions and requires less energy.

Since June 1st 2019 Vitra has been operated a take-back program: Eames Fibreglass Chairs and Eames Plastic Chairs that are no longer required can be returned to Vitra.
Warranty 24 months

Register product and secure extended manufacturer's warranty of 10 years
Accessories Suitable Seat Pad for Eames Armchairs and Leather Seat Pad by Parkhaus Berlin or Seat Dots and Soft Seats (Typ A) by Vitra
Product family Eames Plastic Chairs


Product datasheet Please click on the picture for detailed information (ca. 5,4 MB).

Product presentation

Popular versions

Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, White, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Ice grey, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, White, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Red (poppy red), Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Mustard, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Deep black, With full upholstery, Nero, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Mustard, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Light grey, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Sunlight, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Deep black, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Cotton white, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Emerald, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Forest, With full upholstery, Nero / forest, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Pale rose RE, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Deep black, With full upholstery, Nero, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Deep black, With seat upholstery, Dark grey, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Pebble, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Light grey, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Chrome-plated
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Rusty orange, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark
Eames Plastic Armchair RE DAR, Pebble, Without upholstery, Without upholstery, Standard version - 43 cm, Coated basic dark

FAQ

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Should the answers to your questions not be found here, our service team can be contacted Mon-Fri, 9 am - 5 pm via +49 341 2222 88 22.

What means DAR?

DAR means Dining Height Armchair Rod Base.

How much weight can the Eames DAR support?

The Vitra Eames Plastic Chairs are tested to 110 kg and so meet the "GS" test standard. Just as important as the weight however are the users sitting habits. Swinging on the hind legs, for example, caused a very high load which can dramatically shorten the life.

Why was the seat height of the Eames DAR raised?

Since Charles and Ray Eames designed the chairs the average height of the population has grown by around 10 cm. Therefore, in addition to adjusting the height of the Eames Lounge Chair in 2015, Vitra also adapted the Plastic Chairs (DSW/DAW, DSR/DAR, DSX/DAX) to better meet current user needs. The bases of the chairs are consequently now on average 2 cm higher. The change is minimal and accordingly can only be seen in direct comparison.

Can the Vitra Eames DAR be used outdoors?

Only the Vitra Eames DAR with the powder coated base can be used outdoors; special additives in the polypropylene slowing down the fading process. Despite that Vitra recommend not to leave the chairs in the sun for longer than necessary. Felt pads are not suitable for outdoor use, for outdoor use the plastic glides should always be used. Upholstered versions are not suitable for outdoor use.

How is the DAR seat height measured?

The seat height is determined according to the European standard EN 1335-1. This states that the chair be clamped in a special tester and loaded with a weight. The dimensions are then determined in the loaded state. The seat height being measured at a position defined by the standard and when in the load bearing state. The stated seat height cannot be measured with a conventional measuring device, rather is a normalised comparison value so that different chairs (for example, with and without height adjustment, or with varying thickness of seat cushion, etc.) can be compared with one another.

How do I recognise an original Eames DAR Plastic Chair??

On the underside of the seat shell, the material marking PP indicates the polypropylene used for the shell, a seal certifies the safety of the chair and a sticker indicates the place of manufacture and serial number. In addition, Vitra always supplies the original fully assembled.

Why a 2019 colour update for the Eames DAR?

The new colour palette allows for more possible combinations and offers a broader spectrum of different colour shades with the delineation into "Natural Tones", "Mid Tones" and "Bright Tones".

Please click on the picture for detailed information about the New Vitra update Colors 2019 (ca. 2,9 MB)

Design Story

The Design

For their furniture designs the American designers Charles and Ray Eames both established new manufacturing processes and also led the way in using new materials - developments and innovation that can be seen in the Vitra Eames DAR. While today an accepted standard, at their launch the Eames Plastic Chair family were still a real novelty. Created in context of the 1948 "International Competition for Low Cost Furniture" at MoMA, New York the Eames Plastic Chair family represented the culmination of a very particular design goal: the creation of a one-piece, anatomically shaped seat shell. The ultimate success of the project was thanks to a new material in the furniture industry:

Eames DAR in basic dark

fibreglass reinforced polyester resin. In addition to its easy formability and flexibility the new material also had the advantages of presenting a pleasant feel and coming in at a cheaper price. With the plastic chair family Charles and Ray Eames also reached one of their central aims as a furniture designers "The most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least" Today, the Eames DAR, as with all the Eames plastic armchairs and Eames plastic side chairs are made from polypropylene. DAR stands for Dining Height Armchair Rod Base, which refers to a dining room chair with armrests and four-star base made of wire bracing.

Vitra distribution base - with a Charles and Ray Eames themed lorry on the left hand side

Production

The Eames chairs were the first furniture objects to be serially produced from fibreglass reinforced polyester resin. Since 1950s the furniture manufacturer Herman Miller has produced the Eames DAR and the other Eames Plastic Chairs in the USA. In the 1950s Vitra founder Willi Fehlbaum and his wife Erika discovered the Eames chair on a trip to the USA, and subsequently brought the designs to Europe. Until the 1990s Vitra produced the Eames chairs in their original fibreglass version. Then the once so promising material was considered no longer ecologically justifiable. Consequently, in 1999 Vitra switched to producing the Eames Plastic Chairs in recyclable polypropylene. A switch which was also made by Herman Miller in America.

Designer

Charles and Ray Eames belong, without doubt, to the ranks of the greatest designers of the 20th century. Sacramento born Ray Kaiser and the St. Louis native Charles Eames first met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where Charles and Eero Saarinen were preparing their entry for the "Organic Furniture Competition" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The painting student Ray was assigned to assist: and a year later Charles and Ray married, before relocating to Los Angeles where they established their own design studio.

Ray and Charles Eames

With the establishment of the so-called Eames Studio, Charles and Ray Eames began with the production of countless furniture design, film, photography, graphic design and exhibition design projects. Characteristic for their furniture design work is an effortlessly easy combination of homeliness, user orientation and aesthetics. Thus, the typical Ray and Charles Eames home environment rejected the sober conservatism of European modernism to allow something more, well, cuddly. Charles Eames died on August 21, 1978, Ray Eames ten years to the day later on 21 August 1988.

Historical Context

Charles and Ray Eames worked at a time of fundamental social and cultural change. Following World War all new spirit of hope, a desire to move on and the a advancement of pop culture altered ideals, morals, politics and consumption. One effect was that in the USA the demand for housing increased immensely, rents rose and so the average American living room shrunk. And as such had to become more flexible. The European functionalism as represented by architects and designers such as Arne Jacobsen or Alvar Aalto crossed the Atlantic where it found its way into the Eames' work. With the DAR and the other Eames chairs the two designers perfectly met the spirit of the times. The chair design was suitable for multi-functional applications, was mass producible and therefore relatively affordable. In the years after their launch the Eames Plastic Chairs quickly became a common sight in a wide range of situations, only with the temporary production stop in the 1990s and the associated lack of supply, did they became the coveted design classics that they are today.

The most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least: An Eames Armchair in a library, ca. 1990

Manufacturer

Inauguration of the Ray-Eames-Straße on the Vitra Campus in 2012

Originally produced in the United States by Herman Miller, the Eames furniture designs were brought to Europe by the Swiss company Vitra. Company founders Willi and Erika Fehlbaum personally discovered the Eames Chairs during a trip to the USA in 1953. After negotiations with Herman Miller, Vitra acquired in 1957 the license for the Eames DAR and all other Eames furniture, and remain today the only authorised manufacturer of the entire designs of Charles and Ray Eames in Europe and Asia. In addition to the business interest the Fehlbaum's always had a close personal relationship with Charles and Ray Eames; the intensity of which can be understood by the fact that following Ray Eames' death Vitra took possession of the Eames archive - and not about Herman Miller or Eames family. Vitra is however not just Charles and Ray Eames. In addition to design classics by the likes of George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi or Jean Prouvé the company also produce contemporary classics by the likes of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Alberto Meda or Jasper Morrison. In addition, Vitra the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, a unique oasis for progressive architecture and design ideas.

The Vitra Eames Shell Chairs: An Overview

Eames Plastic Chairs

Vitra Eames DSR
Dining Height Side Chair Rod Base

Vitra Eames DSR

Vitra Eames DSX
Dining Height Side Chair X-Base

Vitra Eames DSX

Vitra Eames DSW
Dining Height Side Chair Wood Base

Vitra Eames DSW

Vitra Eames PSCC
Pivot Side Chair Cast Base on Castors

Vitra Eames PSCC

Vitra Eames DSS-N / DSS
Dining Height Side Chair Stacking Base

Vitra Eames DSS-N / DSS

Vitra Eames DAR
Dining Height Armchair Rod Base

Vitra Eames DAR

Vitra Eames DAX
Dining Height Armchair X-Base

Vitra Eames DAX

Vitra Eames DAW
Dining Height Armchair Wooden Base

Vitra Eames DAW

Vitra Eames PACC
Pivot Armchair Cast Base on Castors

Vitra Eames PACC

Vitra Eames RAR
Rocking Armchair Rod Base

Vitra Eames RAR

Vitra Eames LAR
Lounge Height Armchair Rod Base

Vitra Eames LAR

Vitra Eames DAL
Dining Height Armchair La Fonda Base

Vitra Eames LAR

Eames Fiber Chairs

Vitra DSR Fiberglass
Dining Height Side Chair Rod Base

Vitra DSR Fiberglass

Vitra DSX Fiberglass
Dining Height Side Chair X-Base

Vitra DSX Fiberglass

Vitra DSW Fiberglass
Dining Height Side Chair Wood Base

Vitra DSW Fiberglass

Vitra DAR Fiberglass
Dining Height Armchair Rod Base

Vitra DAR Fiberglass

Vitra DAX Fiberglass
Dining Height Armchair X-Base

Vitra DAX Fiberglass

Vitra DAW Fiberglass
Dining Height Armchair Wooden Base

Vitra DAW Fiberglass

Vitra RAR Fiberglass
Rocking Armchair Rod Base

Vitra RAR Fiberglass

Vitra LAR Fiberglass
Lounge Height Armchair Rod Base

Vitra LAR Fiberglass

Eames Wire Chairs

Vitra DKR Wire Chair
Dining Height K-Wire Shell R-Wire Base

Vitra Eames DKR Wire Chair

Vitra Eames DKX Wire Chair
Dining Height K-Wire Shell X-Base

Vitra Eames DKX Wire Chair

Vitra Eames DKW Wire Chair
Dining Height K-Wire Shell Wood Base

Vitra Eames DKW Wire Chair

Vitra Eames DKR Wire Chair Checker
Dining Height K-Wire Shell R-Wire Base

Vitra Eames DKR Wire Chair Checker


More about 'DAR' in our blog

Eames Alchemy. Or how Charles and Ray Eames turned steel into plastic.....

...In addition to the metal DAX, wood DAW, rod DAR swivel PACC and rocking RAR bases we know today there was also a version with a single pedestal, a low lounge version - a version which if you ask us must have a place in our contemporary tablet and smartphone centred society - and the most charming bar stool/atelier height wooden legged version which, aside from the fact that the extra long wooden legs give the chair an elegance and balance that the DAW can't come close too emulating, ...

DSR, RAR, DAW, ETC... Plastikstole af Charles og Ray Eames

Da vi for nylig var på en lille rejse fik vi øje på en ægte Eames fiberglasbænk fra Herman Miller i en lufthavn. Tager man stedets ret begrænsede faciliteter i betragning, forekommer betegnelsen 'lufthavn' faktisk noget optimistisk, og vores hektiske...

(smow)abseits:3 fish studios, Modern Furniture Linocuts

...There are ten designs in total including such classics of 20th century designer furniture as the DAR by Charles and Ray Eames, Wiggle Chair by Frank Gehry or the Coconut Chair by George Nelson...

DSR, RAR, DAW, ETC... The plastic chairs of Charles and Ray Eames

On a recent trip we discovered a genuine Herman Miller Eames fibreglass chair bench at an airport. Being a relatively small airport - in fact so small that the word "airport" appears optimistic in describing it's capabilities - our frenzied photographing of...

All 'DAR' Posts

Accessories

Soft Seats
Seat Pad for Eames Armchairs
Seat Dots
Leather Seat Pad for Eames Armchairs

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