Header: The Eames Office
During Milan Design Week 2026, the Eames Office has moved beyond the world of plywood chairs to show that Charles and Ray Eames were, at their core, architects of change. At the Triennale Milano, a major new exhibition and a fresh building system developed with the Spanish brand Kettal prove that the Eames’ vision for prefabricated living is finally ready for the modern world.
A new way to build
The centrepiece of the showcase is the Eames Pavilion System. This isn’t a simple copy of their famous 1949 home in California. Instead, it is a smart kit of parts that allows people to build their own spaces using a flexible grid. Developed over three years of research, the system uses a rational layout to give a small footprint the feeling of a much larger room.
Working with Kettal, the Eames Office looked at many of the duo’s projects from the 1940s and 1950s. Some were well-known steel-frame houses, while others were timber-frame designs that had never been built. The goal was to take these old ideas and turn them into a product that works today.
From old archives to modern living
To make this work, the teams had to solve modern problems like weatherproofing, building rules, and how to ship parts across the globe. They chose aluminium for the frames and added modern touches like climate-controlled roofs and built-in lighting.
Eckart Maise, who led the research, says:
“Architecture was foundational to Charles and Ray’s practice. While the public often associates their work primarily with furniture, their systemic architectural thinking shaped everything they did.”
He notes that by looking through the archives, they found many drawings and studies that the public has never seen before.
The logic of the kit
The system is easy to understand. It uses repeatable parts that can be put together in different ways. You can make a small 16-square-metre garden room or a full two-storey house. It uses materials like glass, wood, and polycarbonate. Because the parts are made in a factory and finished by hand, it keeps the balance between industrial speed and a personal touch.
Eames Demetrios, Director of the Eames Office, explains why they didn’t just build a replica of the original Eames House:
“In the almost 40 years I have been Director of the Eames Office, I have been asked time and again whether it is possible to purchase a reproduction of the Eames House. One-to-one replicas can be interesting, yet we were always holding out for something else – a true systems approach.”
Not just a building
The exhibition at Triennale Milano, titled The Eames Houses, lets visitors walk through these new pavilions. It also shows models of eight different house designs, showing that the Eameses always saw buildings as a way to help people live better, rather than just pretty objects to look at.
Antonio Navarro from Kettal says the new system is an evolution:
“The new system balances Charles and Ray’s original intent with contemporary innovation. High-precision aluminium profiles, engineered decking, bioclimatic roofs, integrated lighting and HVAC, and digital configurators are modern layers added to their grammar.”
By turning archival sketches into a real-world building system, the Eames Office and Kettal have finished a job that Charles and Ray started over 70 years ago. This project shows that good design does not have to stay trapped in a museum. Instead, it can grow and change to fit how we live and work today. Whether used for a home studio, a holiday house, or a workspace, this modular system brings a legendary architectural vision into the present day.
