Those were the years of the super designers.... the 50's surely brought some great icons that even today, are really hard to be beat. But also got us to a some degree, certain boundaries of designer vs designer and designer vs manufacturer issues. I know that Eames worked hand to hand with Saarinen in chair design as you can see each other's influences on each version of the fiberglass armchair shell and the side chair too. (I think the Tulip table looks much better in today's decor paired with a set of Eames side/arm chairs instead of the Tulip side chairs... or even Bertoias!) And then, you have the welded wire chair version of Harry Bertoia and Charles Eames. I also know that Herman Miller sued Knoll international to avoid the use of double wire on the perimeter of the Bertoia chair since they had a patent on that. That's why the Bertoias we know today, have a single wire (but at an increased thickness) to support the welds. Again, they both sport s chrome, black and white rilsan finish. The Nelson Swag chair is just an Eames Armchair with cutouts and connectors with rubber mounts, similar situation with the Nelson side table and Saarinen side Tulip both in Rilsan metal parts and white laminated top. Wassily and Corbu Basculante? Yeap, pretty much the same, Yanagi stool? Bertoia Bench? Noguchi Prismatic Table? you will be the judge.
Today, we will have lawsuits left and right but those where the 50's... a more friendly and relaxed environment than today's chaotic and trigger happy society.
When George Nelson was asked who came out with the idea for the Ball Clock, he said that he didn't know, since he and a buch of designer friends (noguchi, harper, et al) where drawing on some napkins and the next morning that was what he found!
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