Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman.

Charles and Ray Eames were people who didn’t just design beautiful things: they invented new ways to make them. They were people with vision and ideas, and everything they did falls into the world of The Obsessive. 

Like most obsessives, I have a thing about furniture. My kids have grown up in a house where the furniture usually has a name and a story. They think it’s normal. Our lounge chair and ottoman doesn’t live a sheltered life: it’s in the living room. Everyone uses it; my nephews like to spin in it, Beatrice watches films in it and I regularly read and fall asleep in it. It’s one of the greatest chairs in the world. 

The back and base are made from laminated plywood moulded into shape with deep, firm but comfortable leather cushions bolted into place. It’s a thing of beauty because it performs faultlessly the purpose for its design. It’s built by the Herman Miller company and Vitra in Europe, they construct it with the finest materials and with such an attention to detail that it’s almost indestructible. Because of this, it’s very expensive, but it’s worth it: it’s an investment piece.