July 2005Metropolis Observed

Play It Again

By Criswell Lappin

Posted June 13, 2005

Homes built from shipping containers and restaurants decorated with chopsticks may seem in vogue now, but remember that in 1953 Charles and Ray Eames were already constructing houses out of diamonds. And clocks. And snowflakes. Those are only a few of the images that appear on the Giant House of Cards, which has just been reissued in collaboration between the Eames Office and Neenah Paper.

The Eames Office has continued to print the original small and medium decks on a regular basis. “But the Giant House of Cards is so big that printing them for a reasonable price required a huge print run,” director Eames Demetrios says. “We needed a partner.” After the office began working with Neenah on a line of papers in colors and textures inspired by Eames designs, the opportunity to produce the giant cards presented itself.

Originally intended to entertain Charles and Ray’s grandchildren and their friends, the interlocking construction pieces are once again available to inspire thinkers big and small.

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Photo: Megan Doyle
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