(Design) At the couple’s sun-flooded Eames House, built in 1949 on the California Coast, Ray would enchant her granddaughter by artfully dressing dining tables with freshly picked flowers, colorful napkins, and mismatched crockery. The effort wasn’t just about playful aesthetics but about providing an inspiring experience to enhance a meal’s enjoyment for everyone lucky enough to dine at the house. “There was no formula for how Ray did it; it was like a dance,” Dewey Atwood recalls, speaking with Maison Ë about life in the charming Eames House, where she spent much time both in her childhood and adulthood. “It was so effortless. Through the years of watching her create these beautiful, ever-changing tablescapes, I realized the importance of being present in every moment. You can create a beautiful space when you’re invested and present.”

And what a space to be present in: the Eames House. Sitting atop a bluff in the peaceful, prosperous LA neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, the glass and steel residence lives harmoniously within a leafy, tree-laden site. Light and airy inside, with colorful panels enlivening its boxy exterior, the home (designated a National Landmark in 2006) is a haven for excellent and thoughtful design. Its creation by Charles and Ray was part of Arts & Architecture magazine’s ambitious Case Study House program, which encouraged architects across the US to rethink housing design post-war. “The challenge thrown out to the architectural community was: how do you use the new materials and processes that came out of the war years to build houses less expensively and more quickly while still meeting the new needs of the modern family?” explains Dewey Atwood, who today sits on the board of the Eames Foundation. “Charles and Ray thought the idea of mass production was a good one—they had observed what it had done for Jeep, which used new technologies to turn a problem-plagued vehicle into something that could be produced quickly, but with great design and quality. With the Eames House my grandparents used prefabricated existing building elements, more commonly associated with industrial manufacturing structures, to create this efficiency in a residential design. They thought creatively at every step—buying beautiful railing from a cruise ship catalogue—and adding in all kinds of ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions that were very democratic.”

The result proposed a pure expression of open-plan living and provided many ideas for home-makers and home-builders at the time to benchmark. It also made life at the house focused on living together, with the sizable communal core being a great central gathering space for the family and guests. The design emphasized shared experiences and togetherness, values not far removed from those present in the furniture Eames became famous for. “The whole goal was to anticipate the guest’s needs,” Dewey Atwood explains, noting the parallels between this home’s hospitable design and the Eames couple’s approach to industrial design. “Charles had this wonderful quote about the designer’s role being that of a good host, anticipating the user’s needs, and it’s for real.”

In many ways, the space served as a living laboratory for the couple to test design ideas for the furniture whose creation had made them known world-wide. However, there was always a well-thought-out sense of curation in how the place was kept. Yet, rather than feeling like these interiors were precious and perfect, guests at the Eames House were encouraged to be creative—play was certainly allowed. “It was a place of playful curiosity and experimentation,” explains Stine Liv Buur, Design Manager of Classics at Vitra, the Swiss furniture company producing Eames furniture since 1957 in Europe. “Their home was more than just a place to live. They brought so many elements into the house—mass-produced industrial pieces, their furniture prototypes, and objects they found like shells, tumbleweeds and folk art—that all sparked their creativity. It was a place of inspiration. The whole house was an environment that visitors loved coming to, which was incredible because the house was assembled from industrial materials, yet had such a warmth to it.”

Liv Buur explains how the home’s interiors evolved from the 1950s into the 1960s as the Eames brand grew and more furniture was created. But she notes one key piece (and a design the pair might be most famous for), the leather and timber Eames Lounge Chair, that has played a central role within this space since its addition in 1956. “It became part of their family,” says Liv Buur of the piece, which Charles Eames noted had “the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.” Liv Buur adds that while the form, which comes in two separate pieces and has an almost machine-like efficiency, is not obviously beautiful, it’s become a design classic for its comfort and functionality. “It was designed in a super smart way. Over time, people fall in love with this piece of furniture, not just because it really works, but because it has this special story and has been a part of the design conversation for so many generations now.”

Similarly, the Eames House has remained part of the design dialogue some 75 years from its inception. Architectural ideas like how it seamlessly blurs indoor and outdoor living spaces and how its rooms are purposefully multi-purpose remain resonant with the industry today. “In the early days of the [Case Study House] program, the houses were opened to the general public after they were constructed, which was very important,” explains Dewey Atwood. “Houses are the most expensive things most of us will ever buy, so they have to work—and by opening them to the public back then, it enabled people to see this type of housing working. It’s one thing to see pictures in catalogues; it’s another to allow the public to experience the house in action and cherry-pick ideas they like for their homes.”

Today, however, the original, efficient design and its use of affordable materials from the 1940s make the modern upkeep of the Eames House a considerable endeavor and entrance to the home is limited. In 2012, the Eames Foundation partnered with the Getty Conservation Institute to embark on an extensive preservation project for the property. This involved meticulous work to address issues with the aging of once-innovative materials (like asbestos tiles—now replaced) and the threat of environmental damage. A key focus of the preservation efforts has been maintaining the house as a living piece of history, reflecting the Eames’ vision of integrating art, design, work and daily life all under one roof. This includes installing UV-protective films on windows to prevent sunlight from damaging interior furnishings and adding a new roof drainage system to protect the structure from water damage. “Every intervention we make is reversible,” Dewey Atwood emphasizes. “This means future generations can continue to appreciate the house as it was intended by Charles and Ray, with the flexibility to adapt as needed.”

Dewey Atwood plays a part in the custodianship of this storied home, which holds many happy memories from her life. She fondly remembers being the doted-upon young granddaughter and later observing her grandparents’ unique approach to work as a more grown-up presence. Her aim today, alongside other family members and passionate preservers, is to maintain the Eames House to honor her grandparents’ legacy and ensure that the place continues to inspire and educate. “It’s important for us to keep the house as Charles and Ray lived in it so that people can actually have a visceral experience of their design process,” Dewey Atwood says. “It is the truest way of seeing how Charles and Ray approached life—the beauty of the way that created a life from work. If the people can visit and the house speaks to them that way and improves their life, we’ve succeeded.”