Eileen Gray Furniture Characteristics
Eileen gray 1878 1976 was an irish architect and furniture designer.
Eileen gray furniture characteristics. It is designed to accommodate the owner s favorite resting position. At a time when other leading designers were almost all male and mostly members of one movement or another whether a loose grouping like de stijl in the netherlands or a formal one such as the congrès. E 1027 the name is based on where gray and badovici s initials fall in the alphabet e standing for eileen 10 for the j in jean and so on was completed in 1929 when gray was 51 years old. The e1027 adjustable table has been in the permanent design collection of moma in new.
Eileen gray s most iconic work is arguably her e 1027 house which was built in 1924 on the south coast of france in roquebrune near monaco built on a steep cliff as a bolthole for her and her then lover romanian born architect jean badovici this house was gray s first foray into architecture and has since become recognized as a classic example of the modernist architecture of the age. In this case she wanted a table for her new house in roquebrune cap martin that could be used over her knees while sitting or as an occasional side or bedside table. Eileen gray was to stand alone throughout her career first as a lacquer artist then a furniture designer and finally as an architect. Many art deco and bauhaus architects and designers found inspiration in gray s unique style.
Renowned in france during the early decades of the 20th century as a designer in lacquer furniture and interiors she then began to experiment with architectural. She developed most of her career in france and was influenced by the modernist movement. Eileen gray was born into an aristocratic irish family. The exhibition honours the memory of eileen gray modern self taught architect and designer.
As with any period do not feel a compulsion to create a replica of those times from the architecture to the furnishings to the landscaping you can if you feel compelled but a lot of homeowners just starting out feel intimidated when tackling a style they love. Eileen gray an irishwoman was one of the leading members of the modern design movement. Initially she was known for her work in the art deco style but by the mid 1920s under the influence of le corbusier. How to furnish in mid century modern style.
She schlepped building materials by wheelbarrow building the place herself with help from a crew of local workers. Eileen gray e1027 1927 eileen gray was always interested in multi functional furniture. Today s artists too write extensively about gray s influence. The nonconformist chair by eileen gray has only one armrest.
Working with geometric forms eileen gray created plush furniture designs in steel and leather. Gray moved to paris in 1902 where she was to spend most of her life. Trained as an architect gray opened a design workshop in paris where she created carpets wall hangings screens and enormously popular laquerwork.