Creating a bed in tribute to legendary designer Ray Eames

It’s all about the dot

American designer couple Ray and Charles Eames gave the world the moulded fibreglass chair in 1950 and then in 1956, the Lounge Chair: both have become iconic, timeless creations.

In 1947, Ray Eames was 35. Whilst her husband Charles devoted himself mainly to the design of structures and materials for furniture, Ray devoted a large part of her energies to designing the textiles used to clad their creations. Ray Eames had studied at art school, and began her career in painting; after meeting Charles in the 1940s, she began to design fabrics featuring abstract, geometric patterns that were a perfect fit for the minimalistic lines of the furniture they created together.

Drawing inspiration from both organic and mathematical shapes, the dot pattern hasn’t aged in the slightest – although the iconic fabric was not produced during Charles’ and Ray’s lifetimes. It was Lucia Eames (Charles’ daughter from a previous relationship) and Mary Murphy (vice-president of US textile manufacturers Maharam) who resurrected the motif from Ray’s original drawings, putting it on fabrics from 1999 onwards.

Since then, Ray Eames’ dot pattern has been used on curtains, cushions, furnishing fabrics, tablecloths, handbags and more – and now, for the Elite bed celebrating the firm’s one hundred and thirtieth anniversary. We’ve opted for a black on off-white version that adds a light, contemporary feel.

A bed as a musical score

Ray Eames often used repetition as a way of fixing the spectator’s eye, creating a kind of order whilst also introducing subtle variations to prevent monotony. To showcase this historic pattern and the Swiss knowhow of our firm’s craftspeople, we’ve chosen one of our classic best-selling bed models, the Square bed.

The model in question owes its name to its geometrical headboard consisting of 15 padded squares. Each square is individually hand-worked by our upholsterer before being painstakingly assembled to form a harmonious whole.

The ‘tribute to Ray Eames’ bed resembles a dynamic musical score in which the movement and rhythm of the dot pattern are enhanced by the repetitive geometry of the Square bed, adding a modern, fun touch to a celebratory bed featuring a timeless design. It’s a statement piece embodying our passion and knowhow – and our desire to pass them on.

The first step: measure in all things

It all begins with a line. Armed with a ruler, the craftsman measures, adjusts, and anticipates each angle. When it comes to graphic design for the Eames dot pattern, precision rules supreme. The hand follows the eye, guided by years of experience, in almost trance-like concentration.

Cutting out the pattern

The craftsman starts work on the fabric in much the same way as a composer begins to pen a musical score, their gestures anything but approximate. It’s a slow, precise, almost choreographed undertaking in which heritage expertise is summoned forth for work on this iconic design.

Stitching

The fabric glides beneath the hands of the quilter as they adjust it and guide it, making sure Ray Eames’ pattern remains perfectly aligned as though the fabric was all of a piece. The sewing is precise and almost invisible for each and every stitch. There’s no unevenness, nothing out of place – everything steps back to make way for harmony.

Assembly

The craftswoman’s hand stretches the fabric, shapes it and secures it in place, with the pattern fitted to match the Square’s padding to the millimetre. Here, it’s all about revelation and asserting the rhythm that brings this Ray Eames tribute bed to life.

The final chord

The headboard stretches out like a well-balanced painting, while the dot pattern is a natural fit for the structure of the Square. The whole is the result of a collective undertaking: an Elite creation crafted with patience, respect and expertise.