Eames® Compact Sofa

The Eames sofa compact started out as a built-in sofa in the Pacific Palisades home that Charles and Ray Eames designed for themselves in the 1940s. They liked the sofa so much that they developed a freestanding version—first in wire, then the current model, which has been in continuous production since 1954. The design, which looks nothing like the big, plush traditional sofa, is crisp and light scaled. And while it's perfect for smaller rooms and smaller spaces—in which a traditional sofa would look bulky and out of place—it also lives beautifully in larger rooms in which an airy, modern look is desired.

The two foam pads that constitute the sofa back feature a reinforcing cord welting detail. Urethane foam seat cushions are supported by fabric-reinforced rubber webbing on a steel and wire-spring armature. The steel frame is black enamel, and the tubular steel legs are chrome plated. Stainless steel glides have rubber bases.