Following World War II, a number of factors combined to foster a new direction in home products and furniture. New materials, such as molded plywood, and advances in mass production techniques opened a world of design options. Through the efforts of the influential team of Charles and Ray Eames, these new designs could be produced for a broad market. A new vocabulary of ergonomic form, versatile function, and synthetic material emerged—and some of the most beloved furniture of the century was created. The contours of its low and casual form comfortably cradle the human body.