Eldridge - Blog 10

Case Study House No. 8

Here is a house that Charles Eames designed as part of The Case Study House Program lead by John Entenza. The program was an architectural challenge to design a house "to express man's life in the modern world" for hypothetical clients. Built in 1949, the house was designed "for a married couple working in design and graphic arts and whose children no longer lived at home." Charles and Ray actually lived in this house for the rest of their lives.

I don't like the the color paneling. It reminds me of a tin shanty town except with a lot more glass. Additionally, the huge clear windows on the first floor allow the neighborhood creeper to watch your family. I'm not a big fan of people being able to watch me in the privacy of my own home. With that being said, check out the interior.

I like the open and well lit interior. I just wish it didn't sit at ground level or at least a person couldn't see through the windows from the outside. Earlier pictures showed this room with a shag carpet. Luckily, the shag carpet has been removed. Artists plus shag carpet equal heavy drug use. Charles and Ray Eames were clearly ahead of their time. They channeled the 70s in a lot of their work 20 years before it became popular.

Another interesting tidbit. This house was suppose to be a "modern and inexpensive way of building and living for post-war modern families." Yet, the Eames decked the house out in their own furniture which is not cheap. I'm not sure they understood the concept of inexpensive. It reminds me of when rich people pretend to be poor for an internet challenge and fail miserably. They miss the entire point because they live in their own little world. I wonder if this was how the Eames were.

Quote Sources

http://www.eamesoffice.com/the-work/eames-house-case-study-house-8/

http://www.midcenturyhome.com/the-origins-of-the-mid-century-modern-american-house-part-1/

Picture Sources

https://www.tumblr.com/search/case%20study%20house%20no.%208