The Handmade Process Behind Your Eames Chair

Great detailing of the process of making an Eames chair via fastcodesign.

But all of the efficiency is still guided by humans simply because the materials are natural and don’t lend themselves to automation. Any given cowhide might stretch twice as much as the next one, simply due to natural variations. A seamstress has to adjust accordingly. The wood grains for an Eames lounge don’t automatically match up–a human has to be there to eye the various pieces and make sure they make sense when paired together.

This is the same reason that some high-end vehicles will never be matched in “fit and finish” by machine-built competition.