The design team at the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity has renovated an industrial building in California to host the organisation’s headquarters and a 40,000-object archive.
Launched in 2023, the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity is a non-profit dedicated to preserving the Eames legacy through digital and physical public programming, including hosting tours of the designers’ extensive archive.
The institution recently completed a gut renovation of a building previously dedicated to the manufacturing of medical devices, opening up the floor plans on two storeys to accommodate staff.
Originally built in 1997 and designed by California architect Jim Jennings, it features a saw-tooth-shaped body with a glass-enclosed lobby at its front that follows the form of its site, a wedge-shaped parcel tucked in between the off-ramps of a highway.
“The space began as dated, awkwardly-scaled private offices,” said the team.
“Recognizing the innate value of Jennings’s design and the building’s history, The Eames Institute’s internal design team set about transforming the interiors to better fit its architectural bones.”
“The renovated office channels the design genius of Ray and Charles Eames and notably showcases vintage furnishings from the Institute’s namesakes.”
The new offices encompass a 2,755-square-foot (255 square metre) first-floor workspace and a 4,793-square-foot (445 metre) second-floor space, while the archive, a gift shop and a small gallery take up the rest of the building.
The offices feature an exposed wooden structure, white walls, and Eames furniture and other pieces in the designers’ characteristic primary colour palette spread throughout.
They are designed for “multi-disciplinary” work, with an assortment of different seating arrangements such as enclosed and semi-enclosed spaces offered for employees, including a long, wooden bar and multiple lounge areas.
“Key initiatives included designing offices that offer a wide breadth of work points for both individuals and groups, as well as offering both opportunities for heads-down focused tasks and more social and collaborative activities,” said the team.
Besides the “countless” Eames furniture pieces, lighting by Isamu Noguchi, textiles designed by Alexander Girard for Maharam, and furniture by MillerKnoll and vintage Herman Miller fill the space.
The interior design drew from the wellspring of creativity and design excellence intrinsic to the organization’s identity and – as everything the Institute oversees – honors the rich legacy of Ray and Charles Eames.
The completion of the offices coincides with the opening of the Eames Archive, which encompasses a collection of “tens of thousands of artefacts” including furniture and objects organized among rows of shelving.
The institute offers guided tours of the archive led by chief curator and Eames granddaughter Llisa Demetrios.
It also oversees the Eames Ranch, a Sonoma Country property dedicated to “land stewardship, habitat restoration, farming, and ranching” which is currently under renovation.
Recently, it announced new branding by design agency Manual while Reebook released a series of sneakers that incorporate Eames design signatures.
The photography is courtesy of the Eames Institute
