The big Herman Miller sale has come and gone, and while I didn’t end up with a pair of Eames molded plastic chairs for the dining room (since there’s no new dining room table to put them at quite yet), I am, however, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my shiny new Eames Hang-It-All!
I fell in love with Charles and Ray Eames years ago when I was assigned to write an article on mid-century masters. It was one of my first magazine assignments, and I remember spending the day at a local independent shop filled with the classics I had only seen in photos, and learning about Eileen Gray, George Nelson, Eero Saarinen and of course, the Eameses.
That was the day I truly fell in love with mid-century design, and vowed to eventually fill my home with a modest collection of all my favorites. Needless to say it’s been slow going, but I’ve wanted this mini icon for my office for a while. And you know, sale! And free shipping!
But seriously, the Hang-It-All sort of epitomizes what I appreciate so much about the work of Charles and Ray Eames—how they translated their innovations in furniture design to something as trivial as a coat rack. To create the steel frame, the Eameses used the same techniques for welding wires that they developed for their wire-base tables and wire chairs.
The Hang-It-All was originally one of several pieces of furniture and toys the Eameses created just for kids, and was designed in 1953. It has more than a dozen hooks topped off with maple balls in two sizes and nine glossy colors, making it as functional as it is good looking. After being discontinued in 1961, the Hang-It-All was reintroduced in 1994, and has been keeping kids and adults delightfully organized ever since. I’m looking forward to using it to properly display—and yes, organize—my collection of handbags, scarves and other accessories.
Images: Herman Miller
