On the Naming of Things; brought to you by the letter W

The first proverb of the Tao Te Ching reads in part: "The name that can be named, is not the eternal Name." Or rather, the names that we give things aren't what those things really are. Which is true, sort of. A name can never really describe all aspects of an object. But sometimes it can help.

Charles & Ray Eames were brilliant, creative thinkers. Their products are filled with wit, whimsy and the unexpected. They were truly visionary designers - until it came to naming things, that is. Most products they created were given strings of letters, or simple product numbers. The famous Eames Lounge chair and Ottoman has the dry official designation of EC670 & 671. The moniker says nothing of it's luxurious comfort and styling, only where it fell in Herman Miller's product line in that particular year. Even the toys designed by Ray were given rather un-joyful names: The Coloring Toy, the Building Toy.

While the names are simple and dry they are effective at describing the products. The famed plywood chairs were given three letter designations: the first letter was a D or an L to indicate dining or lounge height; the second letter was a C to indicate a chair; and the last letter was an M or a W to indicate the frame structure. So the iconic plywood lounge chair is officially called an LCW - lounge chair, wood frame. Following with me?

Then came the plastic chairs, and with them a host of new letters. The plastic chairs were one of the first chair systems - a series of parts that could be interchangeable and reconfigurable based on the end user's need. There were two shapes to the plastic shells - a side chair and an arm chair; and there were over 30 different bases that the shells could be attached to. Some rocked, some rolled, some swivelled. Some lounged, some sat upright, some higher, and a few sat somewhere in the middle. There were chairs that could be linked and stacked, and chairs that could be bolted all in a row.

And of course, within each type of base there were different materials - wood, wire, metal. A dining chair might have the elaborate Eiffel base. Or it might be all business and have 4 straight legs. Each of these combinations warranted a different name. Much like the plywood chairs the official designations were inspired by the height of the chair - L for lounge, D for dining, R for rocking; the type of shell - S for side, A for armchair; and the type of base - X-for four legs, R for the Eiffel (rod) base, S for stacking, W for wood. So you might choose an RAR (rocking, armchair, rod-base) for the nursery. Or a set of DSRs (dining, side chair, Eiffel rod-base) for your kitchen.

Many of the original bases were sold in small amounts, making them very rare to find today. One of the most popular is the W base, a beautiful combination of wooden dowels joined by a deceptively strong lacework of wires. When the base was originally introduced it wasn't as popular as expected and was soon after discontinued. Until now.

Working closely with the Eames family Herman Miller has brought back the W base. Made with sturdy maple dowels and steel wire the bases are available on the side chairs and armchairs. And best of all they are available exclusively at Design Within Reach.