Mid Century Modern Furniture

The 1950's house was a scientific triumph, designed in a laboratory and tested on inhabitants of all ages before being built for the masses. Never had homes been so thoroughly contemporary, with antiques and period styles entirely banished. Mid-Century Modern explores the interior decor of this seminal decade, concentrating on all aspects of a home's decoration-walls, flooring, surfaces, lighting, and, of course, furniture. Case studies examine beautiful present-day homes that exhibit mid-century style in an exemplary way, and suggest ideas for taking the 1950's look-complete with collector's pieces-and mixing and matching it with elements from other eras.

A richly illustrated presentation of Danish Mid-Century furniture classics and the iconic designers who created them Danish design plays an important part in what has come to be known as the Mid- Century Modern style. Timeless furniture pieces, such as the Hans J. Wegner's Y-Chair and Finn Juhl's Chieftain Chair, influenced designers all over the world and are still considered classics. This book is the first to present an overview of the furniture created by Danish designers and architects, in the period between 1945-1975, tracing the movement from beginning to end. Design history expert Lars Dybdahl provides thorough descriptions and analyses of particular furniture pieces, never failing to situate them within a historical and cultural context. The book is richly illustrated, showcasing the aesthetic development from post-war Denmark to the swinging sixties and seventies.

Minimalist design--maximum style! In the middle of the last century, a new generation of designers sought to render furniture to its most essential forms. In doing so, they created timeless designs that defined Mid-Century Modern Style. From the sleek geometric lines of Bauhaus-inspired design to the sculptural shapes of Danish masters, this furniture captured the imagination of the era and enjoys growing popularity today. Now for the first time, author Michael Crow has carefully detailed 29 seminal works by the era's foremost designers, including Hans Wenger, Finn Juhl and George Nelson. At their best, these spare, often sculptural designs transcend their period and are at home in a variety of settings. Each piece has been selected carefully so it can be built in an average workshop. Inside this book you'll find: • More than 100 drawings with exploded views, elevations and details for projects to fit every room in your house. • Practical advice on wood selection, hardware sources and contruction and finishing techniques. • Two step-by-step project builds. • A richly illustrated historical overview tracing the evolution of the style and exploring the designers and makers who shaped it.

Taking full advantage of the ressurgence in popularity of retro-fifties design, this highly praised book lets the reader rediscover the wonders of boomerang-shaped coffee tables, the funky curvaciousness of biomorphic furniture, the industrial sleekness of cool metals, unusual angles, and other design delights. Photos.

In recent years, there has been a real revival and appraisal of the works of the mid-century modern movement among architects and interior designers: the furniture, lighting and objects designed by Alvar Aalto, Charles & Ray Eames, Eileen Gray, Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Pierre Jeanneret, Finn Juhl, Vladimir Kagan, Poul Kjaerholm, Florence Knoll, Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Børge Mogensen, Serge Mouille, George Nakashima, George Nelson, Verner Panton, Ico Parisi, Charlotte Perriand, Gio Ponti, Jean Prouvé, Sergio Rodrigues, Jean Royère, Eero Saarinen, Arne Vodder, Jules Wabbes, Ole Wanscher, Hans J. Wegner, Jorge Zalszupin and many others is integrated in their most exclusive projects and their best pieces are sold at record prices at Christies, Philipps, Sotheby's... In the U.S., the mid-century modern movement in interiors, product and graphic design and architecture was a reflection of the International and Bauhaus movements including the works of Gropius, Florence Knoll, Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Brazilian and Scandinavian architects were very influential, with a style characterized by clean simplicity and integration with nature. In Europe, the influence of Le Corbusier and the CIAM resulted in an architectural orthodoxy manifest across most parts of post-war Europe that was ultimately challenged by the radical agendas of the architectural wings of the avant-garde. A critical but sympathetic reappraisal of the internationalist oeuvre, inspired by the Scandinavian Moderns and the late work of Le Corbusier himself, was reinterpreted by groups such as Team X, including structuralist architects and the movement known as New Brutalism. This chic, over-sized coffee table book is an essential object for all mid-century design aficionados, interior designers with a passion for the modernist 1950s and for refined readers seeking inspiration for their own interiors. In 20 reports, interior designers and passionate collectors of mid-century furniture, lighting, objects and artworks show how carefully selected touches of high-end mid-century modernism can contribute to a unique living environment.

In 1938, Vienna lost its best and most creative minds. This rupture was manifested in all of the arts and sciences and its mark is felt to this day – not least in the field of furniture design. With inexhaustible creativity the Jewish furniture designers who were forced to flee Vienna continued to work while in exile. They taught at the best universities and spread their ideas and vision throughout the entire world. Their creations became classics of twentieth-century furniture design, the epitome of mid-century modern style. This book honors the memory of the exiled designers with a thorough overview of their work. It details their life stories and their visionary designs, which remain as relevant and contemporary as ever, and brings to light new aspects of the history of Viennese furniture design.

There is no hotter style today than the cooler than cool work of modern designers and architects from the 1940s and 50s. Endlessly inventive and emminently livable, mid-century modernism has an optimism and confidence born of postwar abundance, and a spirited elegance that appeals powerfully fifty years later. In CLASSIC MODERN, design expert Deborah Dietsch introduces readers to the basic tenets of modern design and explains how the simple yet inspired forms typical of this style were so readily disseminated into mainstream American culture. Filled throughout with enticing examples of mid-century pieces from such timeless designers as Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, Arne Jacobsen, and George Nelson, this beautiful book recaptures the excitement of the period's brilliant designs.