Getty Institute Teams on Conservation Plan for Eames House in L.A. -ARTnews

A conservation management plan has been finalized by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Eames Foundation for the former home of polymathic artists Charles and Ray Eames. The Eames House was built in 1949 and is currently a national historic landmark in Pacific Palisades that is open to the public by reservation.

The Eames Foundation was founded in 2004 to support the preservation of the house, and prior to the plan the foundation and the Getty Conservation Institute researched matters relating to troubles with floor tiles and special paints and wood paneling that the Eameses concocted for their home. The dwelling with an ocean view is filled with artwork and custom furniture as well as collections of textiles and vintage toys.

“In developing the Conservation Management Plan, the team started with the history of the house and its design, its physical features, and how the house embodies Charles and Ray’s creative spirit,” Chandler McCoy, a Getty Conservation Institute senior project specialist who manages the Eames House, said in a release. “The plan will be a vital tool in the creation of a long-term strategy to ensure that the house may be enjoyed by visitors well into the future.”

Ensuring the authenticity of the home’s original elements is essential to the plan. “We want the Eames House to look as though Charles and Ray just stepped out for the day,” said Lucia Dewey Atwood, director of the Eames Foundation’s long-term 250 Year Project for the home. “I’m happy to say that our approach mirrored the iterative process the Eameses used in their designing—they tested several ideas at once, refined and adjusted, then tested again in order to arrive at the best design solution.”