Eames Plastic Armchair RE RAR with Upholstery, Sea blue RE, With seat upholstery, Sea blue / dark grey, Without border welting, White/yellowish maple
![](https://www.smow.com/pics/vt-657-000/a/vitra-eames-rar-meerblau-s-hopsak-meerblau-dunkelgrau-weiss-ahorn-gelblich.jpg)
has been added to your wishlist.
Please note that in 2019 the dimensions of the RAR have been adjusted by Vitra. Models purchased at an earlier date or models from our remaining stock may therefore differ from the RAR rocking chairs now produced. In-stock versions can only be delivered in the new dimensions.
Details
Product type | Rocking chair |
Dimensions | ![]() Dimensions in millimeter Seat height with upholstery: 40 cm Seat height with full upholstery: 38,5 cm |
Colours | Seat shell![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Upholstery Hopsak ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() (Further Hopsak colours available on request) Piped seam ![]() ![]() Frame and rockers ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 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 | Seat shell: Dyed-through polypropylene Upholstery: molded polyurethane foam, fabric Hopsak (100% polyamide) Frame: Round steel, chrome plated or powder coated Rockers: Maple, stained and varnished |
Variants | RAR without upholstery available separately |
Care | To clean the plastic surfaces a soft, damp cloth and a mild, neutral detergent are recommended. Dust and dry dirt can be simply vacuumed. For the treatment of stains, please use a damp cloth and a mild, neutral detergent. Professional cleaning should be done in the assembled state using upholstery foam or a mobile washer-extractor. |
Awards & Museums | Permanent collection, MoMA, New York |
Sustainability | The Vitra Eames RAR Plastic Rocking chair is: 100% recyclable contains up to 14% recycled material Vitra conform to: ISO 9001: 2008 (Quality management systems) ISO 14001: 2004 (Environmental management systems) |
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).![]() |
FAQ
How much weight can the RAR support?
The chairs are tested to 110 kg. If the user is heavier, the wear and tear on the components increases. However not only the user's weight plays an important role in the wear on the chair, also the sitting habits of the user are important. If, for example, you regularly drop heavily into the chair, or use the armrests to help you stand up, you experience high, if localised, stress which may be greater than the burden of a "static" very heavy user.
What is the wood color of the Vitra Eames RAR rockers?
The rockers are stained and varnished maple. It is possible that "Special Editions"offer alternative rockers. Should any be available these will be displayed in our shop.
How is the Eames RAR 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 RAR 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 RAR?
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".
![](https://www.smow.de/pics/vt-657-000/desc/vitra-eames-plastic-chair-rar-ocean.jpg)
The Design
If one had to select the greatest furniture design classics of all time the Eames rocker and the other plastic chairs would have to be included. Designed in 1950 by Charles and Ray Eames, the RAR and the other Eames chairs were the first collection of plastic chairs to be produced in series. The one-piece design with its anatomically formed seat shell builds the ideal bridge between exclusive aesthetics and homely charm: Design meets comfort. The Eames RAR rocking chair series features the different coloured Eames A-shells fastened to wire frame set on maple rockers. The Eames side chairs, armchairs and rocking chair RAR were created in 1948 in context of the "International Competition for Low Cost Furniture" from the MoMA New York. All the chairs in the collection are all-purpose chairs characterized by extremely high variability - they are, for example, available in a mix of bases, seat shells and colours - and are compatible for a wide range of situations ans uses, both domestic and commercial.
Thanks to their dogged and successful experiments with new materials Ray and Charles Eames created the first ever serially produced plastic chairs. Fibreglass reinforced polyester resin allowed completely new flexible forms, and in the specific case of the Eames RAR the so-called A-shell. In addition to its ease of use, the material has a pleasant feel and was also affordable for the masses. Originally all Eames Chairs were made in the USA by Herman Miller,the production in Europe and Asia only beginning once Vitra acquired the licenses in the late 1950s. In 1993 ecological considerations regarding fibreglass meant that Vitra ceased production of the Eames RAR and other plastic chairs; only resuming in the 1999 when the recyclable, yet just as malleable, material material polypropylene became available. At the same time Herman Miller also stated using polypropylene.
![](https://www.smow.de/pics/vt-657-000/desc/charles-ray-eames.jpg)
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles and Ray Eames were one of the more unique teams in the history of the furniture industry. In a joint career spanning over 30 years the pair created a small universe full of beautiful things. Aside from the famous Eames furniture designs they also created a unique collection of films, photographs, graphic works, and accessories. Charles and Ray Eames met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art know where Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen were working on their preparations for the "Organic Furniture Competition" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the young art student Ray Kaiser
was appointed to assist them. A year later Charles and Ray married. Thus beginning not only a strong personal relationship, but also a very productive professional partnership as designers, architects, graphic designers. All-rounders ... In short, a trained architect and painter who studied together and created an oeuvre that revolutionised so much. Including Eames RAR and other plastic armchairs. Charles Eames died at 71 on August 21, 1978 in Los Angeles, Ray Eames exactly 10 years to the day later, aged 76 years.
Historical Context
The 1950s in the United States were, as in Europe, years of upheaval. Following the war years nations, communities and individuals sought to reorient themselves, sought new values, new principles, new rules for the new realities of the new world. In concrete terms that principle meant building new relationships to culture, consumption, production and living. The Eames furniture beautifully reflects the spirit of the young, ambitious America of the 1950s. Charles and Ray Eames developed for their plastic armchairs a new manufacturing process, a process which enabled the chairs to be mass produced and a price ??affordable for a majority of Americans . With the combination possibilities of the different bases Charles and Ray Eames created an all-purpose chair family which responded to the new requirements for flexibility and multi-functionality in furniture design. With the RAR rocking chair and the other members of their plastic chair family Charles and Ray Eames had a decisive influence on the development of modernism throughout the second half of the 20th century.
![](https://www.smow.de/pics/vt-657-000/desc/eames-rar-sideboard.jpg)
Eames RAR. Source: Design for Use, USA catalogue
On a taxi ride through New York Willi and Erika Fehlbaum spotted a chair in a shop window. It was an Eames chair. And the beginning of a beautiful friendship. That was in 1950 and after some negotiations with the manufacturer of Eames furniture in the United States, Herman Miller, the Fehlbaum's young company Vitra acquired in 1959 licenses for the production of Eames furniture in Europe and Asia. As the only licensed manufacturer of the original Eames designs Vitra is today Ambassador of the ideas of Charles and Ray Eames. The Eames archive being entrusted to Vitra and not the Eames family or Herman Miller. But not just the Eames' furniture is important to and for Vitra, the influence of the pair remains
alive in many, subtle, ways. When, today a decisions is required, the standard Vitra approach is to ask: "What would Charles and Ray do?". In addition to the legacy of the Eames Vitra manage a vast collection of new and established design classics by the likes of, for example, George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi, Verner Panton, Antonio Citterio and Hella Jongerius. In addition, with the Vitra Campus, Vitra Design Museum and VitraHaus in Weil am Rhein Vitra are important curators of contemporary art, design and architecture.
![](https://www.smow.de/pics/vt-657-000/desc/vitra-ambiente-rar-02.jpg)
The cosy blanket makes the RAR even more comfortable
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 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
Eames Wire Chairs
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