World Famous Home Builders

Charles and Ray Eames, a husband and wife duo, were master designers and architects. Throughout their tenure, the husband and wife advanced much in the world of graphic design, furniture design, and film. Further, the Charles and Ray Eames were superb home builders, indicated by their famous home that is visited by thousands each year in the Pacific Palisades of Los Angeles, California.

Built in 1949, the Eames home was a breakthrough in modern architecture, focusing on functional efficiency while incorporating a space filled with thousands of books, artwork, and their own designs. Due to its influence on architecture, the Eames home is reveled in Los Angeles. The Eames are thus known as incredibly influential home builders, and their famous home was ranked in the top 10 best homes of Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Survey of Experts in 2008.

The Eames family continues to keep up the house to this day, offering the premises to thousands. Currently, the Eames home is available for tours during the weekday, but reservations must be made. Visitors who are designers or home builders alike will appreciate this tour, and more information can be found at the Eames Family Foundation. Anyone is welcome -- the Eames Family even encourages group tours -- but tickets must be purchased before visits and there are no public restrooms on the premises.

The Eames Family has gone to extensive length to preserve the home. Some of the maintenance includes restorative painting, gardening, and housekeeping. With money raised through the foundation, the Eames Family tries to protect, preserve and sometimes repair natural degradation on the property. Targeted areas include the home structure, internal components of the home, and the property landscape.

Some of the family's projects include general repairs normal for home builders, planting, landscaping, tours, and detailed upkeep to maintain the home's authenticity. The project aims to keep the house in its original form for 250 years.

One of the notable visitors to the house was rapper, writer, and actor, Ice Cube, who recently released a video that can be seen on YouTube in which he visits the home and summarized the Eames' unique history. Before Ice Cube began a career in rap, he studied architectural drafting. In the video the rapper states the parallels between the design of the home and hip-hop music.

"They were doing mash-ups before mash-ups even existed," he states.

Ice Cube has been just one of thousands of celebrities that continue to visit and support the ongoing effort to maintain the home and property.

This is signatory of the unique flavor the Eames home brings to the world of architecture today. The house and its history continues to inspire, and with the help of a devoted community and the ongoing support of the Eames Foundation, this modern gem could last for hundreds of more years.