| Product type | Multi-purpose chair |
| Dimensions |  New seat height: 1: Height 83 cm 2: Width 46,5 cm 3: Depth 55 cm 4: Seat height 43 cm Seat height with upholstery: 46 cm Seat height with full upholstery: 44,5 cm |
| Colours | Seat shell, new colours 2024   Seat shell            Seat cushion / full upholstery, Hopsak                   (Further Hopsak colours available on request) Base     Please note that wood is a natural material. Every base is unique and due to the influence of UV-radiation the colour pigments in the wood change during use. |
| Material | Legs: Maple or Ash Base supports: Round steel, basic dark Upholstery: fabric 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 glides for carpets or felt pads for hard floors (Please note: All bases are equipped with black glides/pads. White glides/pads can be ordered separately.) |
| Functions & Properties | Not stackable |
| 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 & Museum | Permanent collection, MoMA, New York |
| Certificates | EN 13761 (Office furniture - Visitor chairs) EN 1728 (Furniture - Seating - Test methods for the determination of strength and durability) |
| Sustainability | The Vitra Eames DSW 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 Side Chairs and Leather Seat Pads by Parkhaus Berlin or Seat Dots and Soft Seats (Typ B) by Vitra |
| Product family | Eames Plastic Chairs |
| Product datasheet | Please click on the picture for detailed information (ca. 5,4 MB). |
| Product presentation |
DSW means Dining Height Side Chair Wood Base.
The Vitra Eames DSW meets the "GS" test standards and is tested up to 110kg. The way in which the chair is used is also important. Swinging, for example, causes a higher strain which can reduce the chairs lifetime.
The Eames DSW wooden legs are stained maple. They were previously available in a red tone; however, since 2009 they have been produced in a yellow tone. In 2013 Vitra introduced a dark maple and a black maple versions
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.
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.
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.
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)
With their furniture designs Charles and Ray Eames wanted nothing less than "the most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least". Ideals to be found in their plastic chair series, including the DSW. Realised in context of the Museum of Modern Art New York's "International Competition for Low Cost Furniture" the plastic chair series, including the DSW entered production in 1950 through Herman Miller. In addition to its consequent combination of comfort, aesthetic and affordability, the Eames chairs are beloved for their flexibility. Available with armrests (armchair) or without armrests (side chair) and with a rod base, wood base, X base, stacking base, cast base on castors or as a rocking rod base. And from these combinations one constructs the name: the abbreviation DSW stands for Dining Height Side Chair Wood Base.
A rainbow to sit on. The Eames DSW in its multi-coloured glory
Ray and Charles Eames originally designed the Plastic Side Chairs and Plastic Armchairs from the then unknown fiberglass-reinforced polyester resin. The chairs were the first serially produced synthetic chairs in furniture history. The Eames' chairs were distributed by the American furniture producer Herman Miller and brought to Europe via Willi and Erika Fehlbaum with their very young company Vitra; before a few decades later, the then still revolutionary material, began to be considered ecologically untenable. The sustainable acting enterprise Vitra drew the consequences and stopped the production of the Eames plastic Chairs from fiber glass in 1993. It was not until 1999 or 2004, when production from recyclable polypropylene was possible, that the Swiss company included the Eames Chairs back in their range. In the US Eames DSW et al have since been made from more ecological polypropylene via Herman Miller. Thanks to the latest high-tech production methods, since 2018 Vitra has again been able to produce the Eames Fiberglass Chairs in their original material.
Vitra has been producing the DSW and other Eames Plastic Chairs since the 1990s in an environmentally friendly process using polypropylene
Charles and Ray Eames met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where Ray Kaiser helped the architect students Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen with their preparations for the New York Museum of Modern Art's "Organic Furniture Competition" The following year the pair married. And in the following decades were to become one of the most productive and important partnerships in America design: in addition to furniture the pair produced buildings, films, toys, graphic designs, textiles and photographs. Although from 1950 onwards all works were officially credited to "Charles & Ray Eames" the division of tasks was clearly defined: Charles Eames concentrated on the technical aspects while the abstract artist Ray Eames focused on refining the aesthetic aspects of the projects. Through their liberating of the domestic space from the sober clarity of early twentieth century modernism, Charles and Ray Eames played a central role in helping create our modern understanding of freedom in interior design. When Charles Eames died on August 21st 1978, Ray Eames immediately closed the Eames Studio in Los Angeles. Ray Eames died exactly 10 years after her husband on August 21st 1988.
Ray and Charles Eames
harles & Ray Eames with their Fiberglass Chairs, the predecessor of today's Eames Plastic Chairs
VitraHaus (Herzog & de Meuron, 2007–2009), part of the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein
A 1950s postcard showing various Eames chairs
Since the 1950s the designs from Charles and Ray Eames have been exclusively distributed in Europe by the Swiss manufacturer Vitra. Established in 1950, Vitra's success story begins in 1953 when company founders Willi and Erika Fehlbaum discovered furniture by Charles and Ray Eames in a shop in New York. And were so taken they secured the European licence from the Eames' American partner Herman Miller. Over the decades the relationship between Charles and Ray Eames and Vitra developed from a purely business partnership to a personal relationship, a personal relationship that became so close that the Eames Archive is today in possession of Vitra. In addition to Charles and Ray Eames, Vitra also distributes furniture from international designers including Verner Panton, George Nelson, Jasper Morrison and Alexander Girard. Beyond furniture production, in the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein Vitra have amassed a unique collection of buildings by contemporary architects while the Vitra Design Museum, itself design by Frank Gehry, presents, largely self-curated exhibitions, devoted to contemporary design and contemporary culture.
As one of six designers Charles Eames participated in the Museum of Modern Art New York's 1948 "International Competition for Low Cost Furniture". The aim of the competition was to create furniture that responded to and fitted the new realities of post war living. For all the fact that increased rent meant that most Americas were forced to live in smaller houses and flats than before the war. Charles Eames was awarded second prize for family of fibreglass chairs that through combinations of different components allows use in a range of different scenarios. And a series that was to become one of the most iconic examples of 20th century furniture design.
The Eames DSW chairs look good with or without upholstery
Various Eames Plastic Chairs with base in warm-looking maple
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
Vitra DSR Fiberglass
Dining Height Side Chair Rod Base
Vitra DSX Fiberglass
Dining Height Side Chair X-Base
Vitra DSW Fiberglass
Dining Height Side Chair Wood Base
Vitra DAR Fiberglass
Dining Height Armchair Rod Base
Vitra DAX Fiberglass
Dining Height Armchair X-Base
Vitra DAW Fiberglass
Dining Height Armchair Wooden Base
Vitra RAR Fiberglass
Rocking Armchair Rod Base
Vitra LAR Fiberglass
Lounge Height Armchair Rod Base
Vitra DKR Wire Chair
Dining Height K-Wire Shell R-Wire Base
Vitra Eames DKX Wire Chair
Dining Height K-Wire Shell X-Base
Vitra Eames DKW Wire Chair
Dining Height K-Wire Shell Wood Base
Vitra Eames DKR Wire Chair Checker
Dining Height K-Wire Shell R-Wire Base
Wandering aimlessly through the digital Marcel Breuer Archive one afternoon, we stumbled across a letter dated July 25th 1950 from Peter M Fraser, one of Breuer's employees, to the Eames Office, enquiring about a lighting design by Charles and Ray that Breuer...
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...The Eames plastic side chair shell was released a year later in the complementary DSX, DSW, DSR, PSCC and RSR versions, and the first upholstered plastic chairs appeared in 1953...
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