In 1940, working in association with architect Eero Saarinen, Eames won the Organic Design in Home Furnishing competition, which was promoted by the Museum of Modern Art of New York. However, the one-piece shell-like chair was intended to be made of molded plywood, which turned out to be too difficult to produce. Nevertheless, the anatomical and round shape of the plywood chair inspired Eames to create similar chair designs. With the end of the World War II, the Herman Miller Furniture Company started to produce chairs in the same vein as his first plywood chair. Today, chairs inspired by Eames's designs continue to be produced around the world, using wood, plastic and other materials.
After working with plywood, Eames focused on other materials such as fiberglass, plastic, aluminum and leather. In 1956, then working with wife Ray, he created a lounge chair of leather and molded rosewood. The spacious black leather chair with tufted cushions and ottoman soon became an icon of the 1960s and 1970s. The Eames had originally designed it as a birthday gift for film director Billy Wilder. Despite the commercial success of the Eames Lounge Chair, Eames always expressed a preference for his early less expensive plywood designs, according to the Design Museum.
In the late 1950s, the husband and wife team designed office furniture, which is now associated with mid-20th century corporate America. The so-called "aluminum group" of office furniture presented an innovative technique in upholstery, which used materials made of polymers, such as Naugahyde and Saran, instead of leather or fabric. Eames wanted to supply customers with chairs that were not dust collectors, such as those made of fabric. However, Saran was soon abandoned in favor of the stronger Naugahyde material.
Eames created a series of storage units based on a system of interchangeable parts held within a steel frame. Parts were available in a choice of colors, materials and finishes, which would be shipped for home assembly. Eames introduced the idea of modular systems that could be altered for different spaces. Eames's own house and studio was built based on the principles of the storage unit, using readily available industrial parts.