ABSTRACT
The Eameses' plywood leg splint epitomized the organic design argument outlined by Eliot Noyes, providing an even more succinct example than the earlier award-winning furniture competition entries. Moving beyond furniture design and architecture, the Eameses' submission to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Competition in 1947 utilized a range of different media. Although the Eameses continued to design furniture, the socio-economic ambitions of the products became less important. Accordingly, Sofa Compact was 'the last piece of "low-cost" furniture attempted by the office', marking a clear end to their original design agenda. The plywood, plastic, and wire chairs were designed with low retail cost as one of the major constraints; in successive furniture designed by the Eames Office this objective became less important as a determining factor in the design process, but the goal of cost-effective mass-manufacturing remained an important consideration in Eames furniture development.
