Since I borrowed on a trite expression for today's title, I might as well continue in that vein and proclaim the theme of this post "Slow and steady wins the race." I've wanted an Eames House Bird by Vitra for ages upon ages, but I haven't wanted to pay full price for one. I pinned it to "Things To Buy Before I Die" on Pinterest. I have patiently and persistently searched eBay, Craigslist and Etsy for a bargain. I've seen relatively inexpensive replicas that ship from China, and I even considered buying one on eBay that ships from the U.K. (which, in spite of the seller's careful wording to imply that he made all ten of the ones he has listed by hand, I rather suspect they came from China too).
I was just about to give in and buy one of the fakes when a real one popped up on eBay at a great price. I waited patiently as two newcomers to eBay (with feedback of 3 and 34, respectively) jumped the gun and bid too early. But I didn't budge.
Remembering all too vividly the debacle of the other day when I forgot to bid on a Wirkkala vase I'd been watching for a week, I set numerous reminders and was poised on the edge of my seat as the final seconds of this auction ticked away. Then, at the last possible moment, I placed my bid...and BOOM! I won!!!
He (No name yet...I just call him "He.") arrived yesterday, to my great delight. The seller had said the only flaw was "a small paint blemish" on top of the beak, but it turned out to be so microscopic that it's almost undetectable by the human eye, so I was doubly delighted.
Oh wow! He's spectacular. I've never seen one in real life and never realised they had eyes. I want one now. Can you show us where you'll put him? Nosey, sorry, but these sort of things flesh out my design yearnings.
ReplyDeleteI'm almost finished redecorating my house, and as soon as I'm done, I'm going to post new pictures of every room. He will be displayed prominently on my Jens Risom credenza in the living room.
DeleteHe is beautiful, now I would like one too, he would make a nice friend to the hang it all! For now I would call him "Mr" just "Mr"! Give him a wee pat on the head for me :)
ReplyDeleteOne would look great with your Hang-It-All. I'll tell the new guy in my life that you said hello. :)
DeleteCongratulations, just beautiful. It's really the perfect piece for your house.
DeleteThanks! I think I've picked the perfect place for him to reside.
DeleteOurs is named Kevin (from the movie "Up"). He is one of my favorite things in my living room! I smile every time I see him! Congrats on your eBay win!
ReplyDeleteI love that yours is named Kevin. I'm sure my grandsons will have some suggestions for names, although they're currently in love with The Little Engine That Could, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, and I'm not sure any of those are exactly what I want. :)
DeleteOh you lucky duck! I've been eyeing these for ages and always see them up at museum gift shops...but as you mention the retail price is pretty steep. Glad you found a pretty bird for a pretty price. congrats & looking forward to pics of the house :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm usually shamelessly self-indulgent, but for some reason, I'm always determined to wait it out and get a bargain on small decorator items like the House Bird and Wirkkala vases. I've learned that if you have enough patience, something will pop up at a great price on CL or eBay or Etsy when you least expect it. My last really good score was a large Oiva Toikka bird for $50!
DeleteYay, you got one!
ReplyDeleteYes, the waiting finally paid off!!! :)
DeleteIt's always the best buy when you FINALLY find something you have been wanting and waiting wanting and waiting and wanting again.
ReplyDeleteI really love your bird!!!
"A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word"
hahaha I'll be singing that for the rest of the night!!!
DeleteLove it! I can't wait to see where/how you display it.
ReplyDeleteWe have one of the cheaper made-in-china ones. We also recently found an ooollllldddd bird decoy at an antique mall. And my jaw dropped because that dang crow had the exact same silhouette as the house bird! So even though there's really no such thing as a vintage Eames house bird, we kinda sorta have one. I've been meaning to blog about it and show them side by side. I'm motivated now! :)
JEALOUS!!!! Even though my husband carved me one very similar, I WILL have a "real" one some time soon. I need to take a cue from you and start watching for them on Ebay. I always forget to go there for things. LOVE your bird and really happy you won the real one. He's special and he'll look so cool in your house. Congrats on the score!
ReplyDelete