Cynthia & Chris are husband & wife designers who salvaged a store of vintage Eames shells from an auditorium fire and set to refinish them by hand. Rather than just return them to an impractical and ultimately inauthentic "vintage" state, C&C decided to paint them.
For the first one, they adapted a pattern from a traditional Javanese batik, painted with oil-based metallic copper. Then they mounted it on a modern wire rocker base. It's a wedding present, but there are more to come. For details on the how-to of the project, check out design*sponge, and stay tuned to C&C's blog to see the rest of the chairs as they roll out.
Custom Painted Eames Chairs [candc.blogspot.com via design*sponge]
Previously, where we got our shell & base: Eames Rocker - The Modern Solution
It wasn't the first, or the last for that matter, but there was a decent exhibition/project by Arkitip Magazine and Modernica last summer. A couple friends and Arkitip's band of the usual suspects painted (Modernica-made) shells. The Chris Lindig and Hunter-Gatherer ones are especially nice. There's a book brochure, too.
What are the latest outlets or distributions of vintage Eames chairs like those used in some offices in the fifties or sixties(I am guessing)? (technically it should read Eames's, since designs are attributed to husband and wife, not just one Eames)
I have found a moderate stash of Eames's shell chairs but I don't really know what to do with them. I may find a use around the house for some, but a dozen would be overkill. Maybe my office... or eBay...
[they both get the credit, but it's common to just say "Eames ___." eBay is probably the easiest option; there's a brisk trade in shell chairs. The upholstered ones were the later, office versions. Click through the DT link above and see what some of the more reputable dealers charge, and for what. -ed.]