Eames House Bird - Vitra

Charles and Ray Eames.

Eames House Bird.

The Eames bird is one of our favorite pieces, known as the Eames House Bird, a piece much desired by decoration lovers. Charles and Ray Eames enriched the interior design of the Eames House with a large number of objects they brought back from their travels. In the center of the living room of his house, the Eames House Bird on the floor, there has been a black wooden bird for more than fifty years: a sample of American folk art much appreciated by Charles & Ray that used to appear on many occasions as an accessory in his photographs.

In reality, Charles and Ray Eames did not design the Eames House Bird, also known as the Eames bird, but kept it as part of their personal collection of objects that they collected as a souvenir of their travels. The Eames couple were fascinated by the expressiveness and simplicity of this handmade bird.

The bird was carved in the early 20th century by a craftsman named Charles Perdew. He had a shop in Henry, Illinois where he sold wooden lures of birds and birds. They probably bought it on one of their trips during the 1940s. Since then, Charles Perdew's wooden lure birds have become very popular with American folk art collectors and are occasionally found at auctions.

Since 2007, it has been possible to have an Eames House Bird in our home thanks to the reissue of Vitra.