Eames Plastic Arm Chair DAW Chair Vitra maple yellowish - white

Designed by Charles & Ray Eames, the DSW chair is part of the popular Eames Plastic Chair collection from Vitra. DSW stands for "Dining Sidechair wood base".

New: Vitra colours 2019

Muted granite grey, colourful sunlight yellow or harmonious forest green - these are just some of the new Vitra colours, which are made up of three different colour groups:

• Neutral Tones - such as various shades of grey, white and the rich deep black complement each other well as well as strong, bright colours.

• Mid Tones - as the heart of the colour palette, they unite the neutrals with the bright tones and, despite their colourfulness, appear rather calm and moderate.

• Bright Tones - Bright colours that immediately catch the eye with their vivid clarity.

The new colour update from Vitra makes it even easier to combine the popular Eames Plastic Chairs with the Eames Fiberglass Chairs. A harmonious colour palette and the interplay of lively and subtle colours make it possible to combine the two chair groups.

New colours have been added:

• Forest, Green, Sunlight, Pebble, Granite Grey, Rusty Orange, Pale Pink, Light Grey, Deep Black and Sea Blue

First plastic chair in series production

Charles Eames had been thinking about creating a shell chair that could be produced industrially since the late 1930s.

In 1948, the time had finally come: Charles & Ray Eames designed the Eames Plastic Side Chair DSW as part of the "Low Cost Furniture Design" competition.

Its innovative shape was so well received that it won second place and went into series production just two years later. True to the motto "The most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least", the designer couple created a chair that was affordable and yet set new trends with its innovative design and is now an integral part of the design furniture world.

DSW as innovative seating

The Eames Plastic Chair DSW also owes its immediate popularity to the demands of post-war society. As the demand for housing increased and consequently the living space for individuals became smaller, flexible pieces of furniture were needed that could be used universally.

The DSW fulfilled these requirements perfectly with its slender dimensions and innovative design.

From America to Europe

At the beginning of the 1950s, the triumphant success of the DSW plastic chair spread to Europe. While the chair had previously only been produced in America under the direction of Herman Miller, Erika and Willi Fehlbaum now took over production and sales in Europe and Asia.

The background to this was a trip by the two Vitra founders to New York, where they discovered the Eames chair in a shop window. The design inspired Erika and Willi Fehlbaum so much that, after some negotiations, they secured the licence to sell the Eames Plastic Chairs.

To this day, Vitra is the only licensed European manufacturer of the Eames Plastic Chairs. The connection between the designers Charles & Ray Eames and Vitra has always been close. As a result, Vitra even owns the Eames archive today.

Exciting mix of materials

With its combination of plastic seat shell and wooden base frame, the Side Chair DSW sets interesting accents and yet remains discreetly in the background. Depending on the colour you choose for the seat shell, you are free to make your DSW chairs exciting or understated.

At the time of its creation, the DSW chair was an innovation, as the fibreglass-reinforced polyester resin made it possible to produce a seat shell in one piece for the first time. In addition, the material could be completely coloured. However, as fibreglass proved to be less environmentally friendly, Vitra discontinued production in 1993. a solution to the problem was found in 1999 and the DSW chairs have been made from recyclable polypropylene ever since.

The frame of the Eames Plastic Chairs DSW and DAW has always been made of maple wood. You can now order it online in three stain colours: yellowish, dark brown and black. A new addition is an ash wood frame trimmed in oak, which impresses with its delicate honey colour.

Stable and comfortable: metal cross struts give the design chair the necessary load-bearing capacity (the DSW chair is tested up to 110 kg) and the ergonomic shape ensures a high level of seating comfort.

A real all-rounder

The DSW Side Chair from Vitra has become indispensable these days: we find it in public waiting areas as well as in private homes. Its harmonious design blends perfectly into any living and working environment and makes the DSW chair a very special piece of seating furniture.

Accessories and versions

Our tip: To increase the seating comfort even further, you have the option of adding a comfortable seat cushion from Hey Sign online. The felt cushion ensures comfortable seating, while the non-slip underside keeps the cushion in place. For Design lovers we also offer leather seat pads from Bent Hansen as accessories for your DSW.

Decide which glides to choose depending on the floor covering on which you want your DSW to stand: Felt glides are suitable for use on smooth floors, while plastic glides are ideal for carpeted floors.

New colours

Fancy new colours? The Eames Plastic Chair is now also available in feminine soft pink, radiant sunlight and many other colours. Click here for the DSW.

Do you need a new seat shell for your Eames Plastic Chair? Simply send us an enquiry and we will be happy to help you.

For repeat orders, please note that all chairs ordered before 2015 have the old seat height of 41.5 cm.