Details
Product type | Multi-purpose chair |
Dimensions | ![]() ![]() Without upholstery / with seat upholstery / with full upholstery Dimensions in mm |
Colours | Seat shell![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Upholstery Hopsak ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() (Further Hopsak colours available on request) Base ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Material | Seat shell: Dyed-through polypropylene Legs: Maple Base supports: Round steel, basic dark Upholstery: Hopsak (100% polyamide) |
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 (standard colour, see image) |
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 90001: 2008 (Quality management systems) ISO 14001: 2004 (Environmental management systems) Vitra extends the repair and service offer for the Eames Fiberglass Chair and Eames Plastic Chairs and introduces a take-back programme, which will ensure proper recycling of the chairs at the end of their life cycle. |
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 by Vitra |
Product family | Eames Plastic Chairs![]() |
Product datasheet | Please click on the picture for detailed information (ca. 2,7 MB).![]() |
Product presentation |
FAQ
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.
Can one add cushions to an unupholstred chair?
The Hopsak seat cushions are bolted to the seat shell. Separate seat cushions for the Eames Side Chairs and Armchairs can be ordered from Vitra; however, special tools are required for the retrofit of the seat cushion. As an alternatively we can offer eg seat cushions from Park House in different colours and with different levels of padding.
Why is there a new seat height?
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. Bases of the original height (41 cm) are still available as spare parts on request.
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 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 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?
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".

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.
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.
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

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 DSX
Dining Height Side Chair X-Base
Vitra Eames DSW
Dining Height Side Chair Wood Base
Vitra Eames PSCC
Pivot Side Chair Cast Base on Castors
Vitra Eames DSS-N / DSS
Dining Height Side Chair Stacking Base
Vitra Eames DAR
Dining Height Armchair Rod Base
Vitra Eames DAX
Dining Height Armchair X-Base
Vitra Eames DAW
Dining Height Armchair Wooden Base
Vitra Eames PACC
Pivot Armchair Cast Base on Castors
Vitra Eames RAR
Rocking Armchair Rod Base
Vitra Eames LAR
Lounge Height Armchair Rod Base
Vitra Eames DAL
Dining Height Armchair La Fonda Base
Eames Fiber Chairs
Vitra DSR Fiberglass
Dining Height