Case Study House #9 #Charles & Ray Eames #Eero Saarinen

The work of the Californian magazine Arts & Architecture and its editor John Entenza was essential for the consolidation and dissemination of modern architecture in the USA. Entenza published on the January 1945 issue of the magazine the Case Study House Program, aiming for the designing, building, exhibiting and publishing of a series of houses. The use of the new materials and products provided by the thriving American design industry was among the premises of the program.

Each house will be completely furnished under a working arrangement between the architect, the designer and the furniture manufacturer, either to the architect’s specifications or under his supervision. John Entenza, “Case Study House Program”, Arts & Architecture, Los Ángeles, January 1945

This was especially literal in the Case Study House #9, owned by John Entenza himself and designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen, because they were both the architects in charge of the dwelling and designers of the firms that supplied the furniture, so furniture and dwelling shared the same point of view.

The interior of the Case Study House #9 is furnished with custom-made pieces designed by Charles Eames, such as the fireplace or the built-in sofa, and with pieces produced by Herman Miller Co and designed by Charles and Ray Eames, such as the coffee tables and several chairs made of plywood of fiberglass. The outdoor furniture was designed by Hendrik van Keppel and Taylor Green for VKG, a firm that was pioneer in outdoor furniture design and a big success in California during the 50’s.