The Mid-Century Storage Unit: The Eames Storage Unit(ESU)

Charles and Ray Eames have been two of the most famous, important and influential designers of the mid-century modern era. Within the numerous products they designed probably one of the most famous is the ESU(Eames Storage Unit) that Charles and Ray Eames designed for Herman Miller in the 1950. The ESU was born to be a flexible and innovative product, it was the result of different assembled parts available in many combinations and materials.

The ESU's structure is made of original vertical and horizontal parts like the steel vertical bars forming the L-Shape -in different lenghts- the horizontal shelves in lacquered plywood and, again, vertical elements forming backs and sliding doors in different materials like plywood, perforated metal and Masonite.

The single parts come in many different finishes and colours including sliding doors, open-back wire, X-frame braces and three-drawer systems. All these elements could be assembled obtaining an highly customized furniture, a kit of mass-producible and interchangeable parts basing on the end user's needs.

Charles and Ray Eames designed the ESU in the 1949 and produced by Herman Miller between the 1950 and 1955. From the 1998 is again in production. The ESU, despite its innovative characteristics, didn't have the hoped commercial success. It was probably too modern for that time's customers still too used in to the handmade style furniture.

The importance of the ESU was to become an example and a trend for the storage units production and design from that moment on. It best represented the Eameses' philosophy in terms of solving interior decor problems in an innovative and functional way and remembers other classic Eameses' projects like the Wire Chair and the Wire-base Tables.

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