Within the many designers that contributed to the mid-century modern design success, Charles and ray Eames had a special place for sure. They designed almost all kind of objects possible, but within all of them the ESU(Eames Storage Unit) is for sure one of the most popular. The Eameses designed the ESU -in the 1949 for Herman Miller- to be a flexible and innovative piece of furniture: the first combinable furniture available in many variations and materials.
The ESU structure is made of original vertical and horizontal parts like the steel vertical bars forming the L-Shape -in different lenghts- the horizontal shelves in lacquered plywood and, again, vertical elements forming backs and sliding doors in different materials like plywood, perforated metal and Masonite.
All the elements were available in different finishes and colours to meet the the customers\’ needs. Sliding doors, open-back wire, X-frame braces and drawer systems were the mass-produced and interchangeable parts that the user could combine obtaining an original and unique furniture.
Charles and Ray Eames designed the ESU in the 1949 and produced by Herman Miller between the 1950 and 1955. From the 1998 is again in production. The ESU, despite its innovative characteristics, didn\’t have the hoped commercial success. It was probably too modern for that time\’s customers still too used in to the handmade style furniture.
So, the ESU become so important in the design history more because it set a trend for storage units that would become a norm in the future. The ESU summarize the Eameses design philosophy about solving interior decoration problems. They always tried to fulfill the end user\’s needs and to find the cheapest production solution possible to obtain a mass-producible product. That\’s probably why the X frame supports\’ of the ESU remembers other product\’s design like the Wire Chair and the Wire-base Tables.
The Eames ESU is an amazing example of mid century modern design, to see and read more about it check the best place online to learn about mid century modern design and architecture!