Yahoo Finance Legendary Car Designer Ian Callum Reimagines the Iconic Eames Lounge Chair
Ian Callum is responsible for creating some of the most stunning cars in recent history. Now the British designer is focusing his talents on decidedly more domestic matters, offering a new take on the iconic Eames Lounge Chair.
Callum, who previously penned vehicles for Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin, has reimagined the signature, midcentury modern chair of esteemed industrial designers Charles and Ray Eames. First unveiled by Herman Miller in 1956, this deceptively simple chair revolutionized the design industry and has since spawned countless interpretations.
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Still, the 66-year-old and his eponymous firm, Callum Designs, has managed to offer a decidedly different spin on the famed char. The contemporary riff sports a bolder shape and colorway. It’s also finished with an array of different luxury materials courtesy of Callum’s connections in the automotive world. This includes leather by Scottish outfit Bridge of Weir and tons of exposed carbon fiber, naturally.
“We did this for the love of design and a new challenge, a project to experiment and discover new things,” Callum told Robb Report via email. “I’ve longed to do something different, a project outside of automotive that would excite me. I’ve had a life-long love of furniture forms, so we decided to do a chair.”
It goes without saying, Callum is well-versed in revisiting famous designs. Shortly after he finished his two-decade stint as head of design at Jaguar, he reimagined the Aston Martin Vanquish, the very car that helped him revolutionize the marque years prior. The $670,000 Vanquish 25, which was released last year, sports exterior changes that are subtle but effective and reflect Callum’s decades in the industry. The same could be said of his new Eames restomod.
The chair will be the first of three different models that look to bring a little pizzaz to an arguably mundane activity.
“Over the past year, everyone has been doing an awful lot of sitting down—furniture like this makes even that special.”
All of the designs will be one-off prototypes unless they manage to attract customers. Judging by the success of Callum’s four-wheelers that shouldn’t be much of a problem.
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