A nod to the Eames.

Have you heard of Charles and Ray Eames?

If you are an artist, architect, interior designer, historian, antique collector, probably yes.

If you were an avid viewer of Frasier in the nineties, you might recognize an iconic piece of furniture designed by Charles and Ray Eames (Dr. Crane’s black leather and wood lounge chair).

This talented husband and wife team designed a wide range of ‘things’—from furniture we now know as MCM classics to films to wooden splints for the Navy in WWII. They embraced simple beauty and function, but function mostly. Before function came process.

The process to solve a problem, for instance, build a chair, had to be simple and affordable, using readily available materials. These two were frontiers people in the modern furniture world paving the way for affordable mass-produced furniture for all in the, at the time, post-war economy. In my opinion, they were to furniture what Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were to personal computing (side note: I’m obsessed with those two Steve’s too.)

So the Blackbird—what does that have to do with Mr. and Mrs. Eames? They collected souvenirs on their travels much like we do. On a trip to the Appalachian Mountains they picked up a wooden blackbird statue and it became a popular accessory in many of their photographs. It eventually was replicated and is now marketed by Herman Miller. Those in the design industry recognize the blackbird as an Eames’ treasure.