A Guide to the Best of Southern California : HIGH STYLE : The Return of the DCW

SYMBOLS OF THE late ‘40s: Alexander Calder mobiles, broad-leafed philodendrons and Charles Eames’ DCW (dining chair wood) chairs. Charles Eames was among the most important furniture designers of his time. His Case Study House in Pacific Palisades, assembled from off-the-shelf industrial structural components, remains a shrine for design pilgrims.

During World War II, Eames developed new methods of molding and laminating plywood to give the Navy a lightweight, stackable leg splint. In 1946, Eames used the same technology to make the DCW chair. The body was made of two pieces of plywood, molded to fit body contours and shock-mounted to flex with body movement. Its sensuous, rounded looks and affordable price made the DCW an instant hit.

Unfortunately, the DCW was not very functional as a dining chair unless you were a Munchkin. The chair is so low, the pitch of the seat so steep, that dinner guests had difficulty rising after a meal. Indeed, owning the DCW chair was a lesson in how many functions other less-touted chairs can perform: You can stand on most chairs; if need be, you can pile objects on their seats. The DCW is useless for such everyday activities.

Still, the DCW is now an icon of American pop culture. Last June, Palazzetti canonized the DCW by introducing a reproduction edition (about $1,230), available in black or natural (though not in the original, un-trendy blond-tone finish). There are still plenty of original DCWs out there; though somewhat the worse for wear, they turn up in secondhand shops for $500 to $1,000.

Palazzetti, 9008 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 273-2225.