limited edition VITRA & herman miller eames eucalyptus LTR tables

when two eucalyptus trees were felled as part of the ongoing conservation of the eames house – built as part of the ‘case study’ house program in 1949 in california, USA – it presented a unique, fortuitous surplus of material to the eames foundation. in partnership between VITRA and herman miller, a special edition of eames eucalyptus LTR tables were created, which are limited only by the natural volume of the trees. the result combines a much loved design of charles and ray eames with a material equally appreciated by the designers.

‘the limited-run seems like a natural fit to utilize this [eucalyptus] because for generations we in the family have always loved that elegant piece of furniture [the LTR tables],’ explains eames demetrios, grandson of the eameses and director of the eames office, to designboom.

the importance of the eucalyptus should not be underestimated, however. it prolongs the longevity of the wood and the designers’ care for the material. charles and ray eames valued the trees so much that they designed the site of the house with the tree’s protection in mind.

‘in a conservation project like the one at the eames house, understanding what you have is critical to moving forward. so research is essential,‘ continues demetrios. ‘in any event, the records were not at all clear as to what wood makes up the beautiful and dramatic wall of the eames house living room. working with the getty conservation institute’s experts and doing genetic analysis of the wood, we all discovered that the wood in the living room was tallow wood—another form of eucalyptus. so charles and ray lived their lives embraced by the wood of the eucalyptus inside and out. that makes the eucalyptus LTR a rather wonderful celebration–which benefits their home as well.’

trees 167 and 221 were felled on the eames house property during the conservation project
illustration by elisabeth moch (eames foundation tree census, 2014, by carlberg associates, santa monica, CA)

the limited-run of the low table rod (LTR) builds upon the authentic design by the husband and wife duo. enhancing a technique used to simultaneously weld wire rods, the base is a result of charles’ appreciate of what he called ‘fantastic things being made with wire’. the lightweight, diminutive tables can be used as standout pieces on their own, or as an accompanying surface next to beds and chairs.

‘it [the project] celebrates the dynamic nature of stewarding a legacy by viewing the ultimately inevitable loss of a tree as an opportunity for creation. and I personally enjoy the fact that this is a different kind of limited edition. most are driven by numbered items or the window of time in which it is produced. and those can be pretty cool. but this time, we (meaning VITRA, herman miller, eames office and eames foundation) let the tree, the resource itself, be in charge and determine the number of tables,’ concludes eames demetrios.

made from the harvested trees, the VITRA and herman miller eames eucalyptus LTR tables are limited with 600 productions for collectors and customers. the updated design, befittingly, was unveiled by the eames foundation at the 70th anniversary of the eames house.