A new radio has been launched this week in the form of the Vitra Eames price at $999, which will be made available in a limited run of just 999 units. The unique radio was designed by Charles and Ray Eames back in 1946 but rejected in favour of a more “normal” design explains the team that have resurrected one of the duo’s last products and made it available in a limited edition run.
“After developing a successful method for moulding plywood in the early 1940s, by 1952, roughly 200,000 radios with cabinets designed by the Eameses had been sold by various manufacturers. One design, however, never went into production: an elegant table radio with a moulded plywood case, whose compact shape and austere, more technical look were unusual for the time.”
“Completely conceived by the Eameses in 1946, the radio was rejected by the designated manufacturer, who wanted a ‘normal design’. Charles and Ray sent photographs of the prototype to the magazine ‘Interiors’; matchbooks were included in the pictures as a scale reference. Their aim was to increase the acceptance of smaller, more modern devices. However, this goal proved elusive, and the production of Eames radios was discontinued in the early 1950s.
More than 70 years later, Vitra has joined the Eames Office to revive the design of this compact radio, which was a favourite of Charles and Ray. Encased in an elegant walnut cabinet and equipped with up-to-date technology by the British manufacturer REVO, the Eames Radio today bears witness to the designer couple’s unwavering belief in progress.”
For more information on purchasing options jump over to the official Vitra website by following the link below.
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