Eames Foundation

These are the kinds of cool experiences that I love. Ray and Charles Eames are up there with FLW in my book.
Disclaimer — I visited the Eames House about 10 years ago. Sounds like they are no longer offering the docent-​led tours, which is a bummer. Still worth a visit nonetheless, and I’d definitely return if I were ever forced to go back to Los Angeles.

What a depressing visit. No tours of the interior, self guided tour of the grounds which would have taken 5 minutes at best, no pictures allowed in interior areas, kids can’t play on the only piece of playground equipment.
I love the Eames’, I love their house. I had been looking forward to a visit here for years. It was SO disappointing. The staff seemed more like security guards rather than docents. The worst architectural visit I’ve ever experienced in Los Angeles… never again.

The history of modern American design has many of it’s roots firmly planted here. This monument Case Study House #8 has shown itself to be a work of love and art fused into a function that is surrounded by its own natural environment. The Eames have shown the durability and genius of its design as it had been proven to uphold minor rearrangements and has been lived in by the Eames entire lifetime since its completion in 1949.
Undergoing a transitional state to prepare its survival for another quarter millennia. As my little family saw it we were unable to view much of the main house. Yet the office was still visible in its mostly preserved state.
You are allowed to roam the field and go up and around the upper side of the house around their garden. To see it in person shows the human craftsmanship to the house. A side that is hidden from the photographs and brings a genuine approach to its outstanding image.
If you don’t know much about the «Eames Era» chances are you already have a prerequisite. Especially if you went to school, worked in an office or sat in an airport in America from the 1940’s up until the end of the century. The designers have contributed timeless designs that were meant to be beautiful and minimal while providing the basic function that it is created for. Much like the Case Study House #8 itself. In more ways than can be described I feel that the house is the epicenter of the Eames era.

This is one if the most uniquely beautiful places in Los Angeles. The Eames’ were a beautiful, brilliant couple of artists, architects, environmentalists and lovers of beauty. The houses slope down to a meadow overlooking an unforgettable panorama of the Pacific Ocean. The space is tranquil and yet exciting. Don’t miss the little secrets in the meadow. It makes you dream of the way this remarkable place must have looked in 1945 when Charles and Ray started their splendid
journey.

This house is simply amazing. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this sooner.
First of all, don’t forget to call to make an appointment because there is a small guided tour. It’s open Monday-​Saturday 10am to 4pm. You can find parking on the street of Corona Del Mar. Ward, our docent, was so kind enough to tell us the history of Ray and Charles and show us a bit around the exterior/​sneak peeks of the interior, which was awesome.
I spent over an hour there, even though the place is really small. There’s a lot of beauty in the architecture and the elements that created this beautiful place. There’s a wonderful view of the beach. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the place! The house is so simple, but definitely worth taking a ride to the beach and enjoying a bit of history!

My time thus far in Los Angeles has been clouded by grad school living (or lack thereof): 90+ hour weeks really take their toll after a while. At least the weather’s nice.
So when one of my classes assigned us famous houses to analyze and a classmate announced she was going to visit the Eames House as part of her assignment, I jumped at the chance to ride along. After all, I had barely set foot on the west side, and in terms of modern architecture, this is one of the most iconic ones out there.
The trip didn’t disappoint. The weather was perfect (when isn’t it?), the admission was free with a student ID, and the docents were immensely friendly and helpful in giving out information about the history of the house, as well as the Eameses as architects and as people. They were ready and excited to share their knowledge, and were both respectful and encouraging of pictures taken on site.
The viewing hours are limited, and you have to call and reserve a place to see it in advance (typically two days). The tours are self-​guided, but the docents are there to answer questions (useful for the non-​architect set out there). Go take an hour or two out of your day, bring $ 10 or a student ID with you, and go see the house. Los Angeles, you are fortunate to have such great architecture in your region. Go see it!

This is a living museum, and exploring the grounds is worth it if you’re already a fan of Charles & Ray Eames. You can look, but you can’t photograph or go inside the building.
I left extremely disappointed with my visit here or I would’ve given this place five stars.
Five stars for the actual home and its historical significance…
Two stars for the two people who work here (as I have experience better visiting the Gamble House) as I found these people here to be useless in helping understand more about this home and the architects. They more so are there to size you up to find out if you’re worth speaking to and not a good representation of the foundation that supports the preservation of this building.
It seems they pry and try to get information from you to find out if you’re worth chatting with or offering your docent-​lead tour or if they should just let you roam free to explore the grounds on your own. It was more so to tell me what I can and cannot do.
It was a bit of let down that didn’t tell me that I had the option to have a docent-​lead tour which I expected, especially when I saw the docent spend more time with a group that arrived later. That group got the red carpet treatment and more attention from Dan, the docent there. When I arrived, they pretty much told me to go free and walk around the grounds not even telling much of anything, but only what I shouldn’t do.
They were only available to me if they had any questions after roaming the grounds.
I originally saw the actual living space furniture on display at the LACMA so iI felt I revisited what I saw at the museum, but this time the interior inside the actual Eames home. I was told that the furniture was moved out for the first time for that exhibition I saw.
After the my walk, I was more intrigued by Ray & Charles Eames that since I didn’t get any info from the «docent», I bought an Eames book on Amazon to learn more about them. $ 10 to enter the grounds.
If you’re a fan of mid-​century modern architecture or design, I highly recommend visiting.
Go with low expectations of possibly not getting «chosen» or «screened» as good enough for the docent-​lead tour and you’ll leave happy. My experience felt like a trendy Hollywood club and for the first time, I felt like I was getting snubbed and not getting in on any of the action.
You must call in advance to visit the grounds and park around the corner on Coronado del Mar. You can’t go inside of the building but more so walk around it and if you’re one of the chosen ones, you can get more information from their «docent».

Had a great time at this architectural jewel, hidden just a few feet from the crazy PCH driving mayhem. I think I could move in to this home and be at peace.
Ann was the docent and was very informative and helpful to visitors asking questions and purchasing souvenirs.
My highpoint was resting/​sitting in one of the two powder blue Eames Fiberglass Shell chairs, placed casually outside.
The chair design was revolutionary in 1948, but it sure proves its relevance and functionality to this day.

You can’t go into the house, but I thought the tour was great and it was neat to see where and how the Eames (tour guide pronounced it Ames?) lived. The tour guide (I am so sorry I didn’t catch his name) was really informative and helpful as was the young woman working there (Catherine?). He really knew his stuff and was open to any questions.
If you saw the Eames living room at LACMA last year at the Pacific Standard Time exhibit, it’s especially cool to see where it really lives and the actual dimensions of the house, etc.
There were also some people picnicking on the grounds while we were there.
Great stop for a mid-​century modern design fan, for sure.
Also, after reading the other reviews just now, I’d like to add that I got an email response with a time almost immediately, AND someone extremely gracious returned my call the very next day just to make sure.

bliss. this place is perfect and inspiring to anyone who has an appreciation for history, art, and/​or relaxation. it is off the beaten path a bit and i thought i was lost when i was walking towards it, since it is, in fact, a HOUSE in a residential area…
but the atmosphere is perfect. there is a view of malibu beach. the house itself is wondrous. the lines, colors, and history is fantastic. watching the eames movie on netflix instant video is a MUST before you go, to really appreciate what you are seeing. the rigidity of the house is complimented by the natural setting, and soft and round decorations inside the home.
you can walk up around the back yard area by taking the mud-​piled steps to the back part of the house to get a different view… you can also trek in the front yard and head over to where the «easels» are, which gives a good amount of history, quotes from the eames’ and really sweet photography of them living in the very house you are visiting.
pros:
atmosphere
reflexion on life
history
you’d be doing something unique in LA
FREE if you show your student ID
cons:
you can’t actually go INSIDE the house… its a «self guided tour» of the exterior of the house. but the house is made up of windows… so it’s okay.
you have to call at least 48 hours to make a reservation.
and when you call, you have to leave a message, and i had to call at least 7 times and leave 7 messages before i got anyone to call back. it was stupid.
all in all, i reccommend going. its amazing.

i haven’t actually been here, though i mean to. i ordered a poster from their store as a gift for my nephew. when the ups driver was unable to deliver the package, the office called me immediately – it was very close to christmas – to see if they had the right address and to remedy the situation. it seems that i have been accidentally sending items to my nephew’s neighbors all along, and since they are all friendly, the package made it to its destination just fine. but i appreciated the call very much.

I watched the PBS series on Ray and Charles Eames, and so when I came to LA, I knew I wanted to come check out their house. The view is incredible, and the house is so neat. I came with a friend, and we both kept saying how much we wanted to move in.
You park a couple of blocks from the house and have to walk the rest of the way, but there are directions on the website and it’s pretty easy to get there.
The living room is undergoing restorations, so you won’t see any living room furniture, but I think the furniture will be back this summer. It costs ten dollars to tour the grounds, and you have to make an appointment. I think ten is a little steep, and making an appointment is annoying, but it was still a great experience!

perhaps, the most beautiful place on earth. really.

If you’re a fan of modern design, this is a must see. Even though you can’t go in the house, because of the windows you can basically see everything.

I love Mid century modern and the Eames’ are royalty in the American scene, so when I got a reservation to see their house, I was thrilled.
My problem is more with the tall, thin, twenty something year old snob who gave us a curt, hostile welcome…
He actually ruined the experience for me.
First, he asked how much we knew of Eames. I mentioned I was more familiar with their furniture than the houses and that I owned an Eames Lounge chair. He wasn’t impressed, rolled his eyes and said, «well, I’ll have to tell you the whole story then, since you obviously don’t know anything about the Eames» ok, ok sorry, feeling a little embarrassed and inferior he pontificated about all sorts of very obvious things, «you’ll notice there is a gold leaf panel over the door, that’s so you know where the door is» (oh…we pretended to be impressed, as if without the gold panel, one would attempt to walk through any piece of wall assuming it was a door…).
Any casual mention or question I raised was met with annoyance and dismissal, as if I were a Philistine. me:“oh, I hadn’t realized that the Eames and the Saarinen’s were close friends. I always thought of them to be contemporaries and rivals” Tour Guide: «rolls eyes, squints at me in contempt and boredom and says {annoyed} «what?!» no, of course «Duh! they were friends «HELLO…or at least that’s how it seemed…
Ok, Now I’m afraid to say ANYTHING for fear of humiliation, but, I cannot resist. I say :“How did Eames feel about so many knock offs of their designs?»
This question seems to have offended our dear tour guide and confirmed in him his suspicion that I was suffering from a brain injury.
He claimed there were no Eames knock offs until very recently, and they had been dead for many years before anyone knocked them off… hmmm…apparently the tour guide has never been on eBay or to the Rose Bowl Flea MKT and seen all of the items made in the 60’s and 70’s…
That dude, who is probably a volunteer, should be payed to go away and the Eames foundation would do better to hire people with less obvious contempt for general public… What a DICK!!!
oh well, me and my friend had a great afternoon making fun of his bitchiness…“don’t touch that!»

Whether you know it or not, all of our lives have been touched by Charles and Ray Eames, the respected architect/​designer couple who reigned during the mid-​century Modernism era. If, like me, you frequented public libraries in the early 80s or ever sat in tandem row seating while waiting at the airport for a flight, your behind has certainly been touched by the Eames: they are famous for the form as function, molded plywood and plastic chairs. I’ll know I’ve made it when I finally own an Eames lounge chair.
The Eames House was one of 25 «case study» projects overseen by the then publisher of an arts and architecture magazine. «The magazine announced that it would be a the client for a series of architect-​design homes to be built and furnished using techniques and materials derived from the experiences of the second World War and best suited to express man’s life in the modern world (taken from the the Eames House pamphlet). »
I believe that it is the Eames’ committment to art, creativity, and social relativity that has continued to make the Eames’ designs and objects part of our collective consciousness. You still see their actual designs and influences everywhere! The house is yet another example of this: form, function, and art. They used pre-​fab materials ordered off-​the-​shelf to create their beloved abode. The couple wanted to extend the house out into the meadow, but decided against it in the end because they loved the meadow out front too much and felt that building upon it would destroy the nature surrounding them: a far cry from some SoCal residents who want to tear down historic Neutra houses to build their garish gold mansions.
Although you are not allowed into the actual house, they leave some of the doors open and entire sides of the house consists of windows so you are certainly welcome to peek in; you just sort of feel like a voyeur. You can also walk out onto the meadow and behold the gorgeous spectacle of a view that the Eames had. It doesn’t take too much of your time to explore the outer edges of this sanctuary, but the inspiration and thoughtfulness behind the creation of this domicile will leave an impression on you.
Other info:
— call the above number to make a reservation
— $ 5 suggested donation
— you park on Corona del Mar (the next street up), directions are on their website