My First Signature Piece
It’s always nice to go back to the beginning-in this case, our early design inspirations. Christa got me thinking about this during a recent conversation. We were chatting about our first major design purchases, those investment pieces that set us on the path to developing our personal styles. We both have a special piece (or in Christa’s case, two pieces) which first introduced us to modern-classic design, and we thought it would be fun to share these with you.
Eames Molded Plastic Wire-Base Side Chair
Eames Hang-It-All
Christa’s Signature Piece
I was working at my first job out of college, a commercial furniture dealer, and I had unlimited access to beautiful Herman Miller pieces. I had always dreamed of owning an Eames Molded Plastic Chair with wire base ever since I learned about Charles and Ray Eames in a college course on the history of furniture.
One lucky day, I came into work and discovered Herman Miller was advertising a special edition Eames Hang-It-All with walnut hooks and a black wire frame. This was the perfect opportunity to execute my dream of owning the chair and getting a special edition hang it all. I decided it was time to invest in my design future and reward my hard work with the special purchase.
It was important to me to support the designers that made these historical pieces and to own something that would never lose its value or the memory of how I worked so hard to buy it. These pieces bring me much joy when I see them in my house today, as these were the pieces that started the evolution of my style and paved the way to learning the value of great design.
Series 7 Chair
Alex’s Signature Piece
When I was in college, I was lucky enough to snag an internship at the Knoll showroom one summer. As an assistant to the textiles rep, I spent most of my days pulling fabric samples and organizing file drawers filled with furniture brochures. Somewhere along the way, it occurred to me that, because I was technically an employee, I was eligible for an employee discount on all of the furniture they sold.
By this point, I had become very familiar with the Knoll Studio pieces, the classic furniture collection dating back to the 40’s and 50’s. After much internal debate, I finally settled on the Series 7 chair as my first big design purchase. This molded plywood chair, designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955, was a classic piece I knew I could hold onto forever. (Not to mention, it was one of the few chairs I could afford on an intern’s salary...)
To my great surprise, on the last day of my internship, the wonderful team at Knoll surprised me with the Series 7 chair as a going-away gift. It meant so much that they had quietly arranged this amazing send-off for me. I still treasure the chair to this day. It’s moved with me from apartment to apartment over the years, and now it's finally settled in my first home.