Midcentury Modern Garden Style

A lavishly illustrated exploration of the prevalent architecture and landscaping style of the mid-century period (c.1940-1970) and its links with modern-day living, this sumptuous garden design book features examples of contemporary interpretations of the style as well as expert advice and tips on how you can achieve the style for yourself. In the second half of the twentieth century, outdoor living was born. Even modest homes were open plan with large picture windows that brought the outside in - and a deck or platform was the perfect answer to extending living outdoors. These lived-in spaces were easy to maintain with their limited plant palette and focus on structure and hard landscaping. They offered a space in which to relax and enjoy valuable leisure time, a pursuit that is as relevant now as it was then. Contrast was the design dynamic - a response to the energy that was fuelled by people's hope for a bright future after the Second World War. Outdoors this translated into a lively interplay of textures and colours between hardscaping materials, pieces of outdoor art and striking specimen plants. The first part of this seminal book charts the evolution of the MCM aesthetic starting with Frank Lloyd Wright's 'Usonion' houses and finishing with Cliff May's ranch houses looking at spaces outside and within and design influences from Europe. The second part focuses on classic and contemporary interpretations of the style in exceptional gardens from all over the world. It offers a unique insight into this period of seismic shift in garden design and will be a rich source of inspiration for garden makers today.

Midcentury modern design is as popular as ever, leading many of the hottest national real estate and home decór trends. One of the key features of a midcentury home is a cohesive connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces. Because of this, the garden plays an important role. Midcentury Modern Garden Style, by Beth Dunlop—the editor in chief of Modern Magazine, celebrates the important role the landscape plays in this iconic style and helps homeowners create gardens that perfectly match their modern home. Dunlop explores the contribution of important practitioners, such as Garrett Eckbo, Lawrence Halprin, and Thomas Church, by pairing classic examples of their work with contemporary examples that have similar features. Readers will find a wealth of inspiring ideas for achieving the iconic look, and a resource section details where to buy the best plants, hardscape, and furniture. Midcentury Modern Garden Style is a rich, photo-driven guide and a must-read for fans of modern architecture and design.

The Midcentury Modern Landscape explores the origins of midcentury modern garden design for the home, revealing how designers at the time blurred the divisions between indoors and outdoors, creating gardens that were for living, a style that went on to inspire contemporary gardens around the world. The Midcentury Modern Landscape is a fresh guide for those seeking bold approaches to redefine their outdoor space, or wishing to learn more about the history of mid century modern aesthetics.

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.

Traces the evolution of midcentury houses and demonstrates how they are experienced and lived in today This expanded and updated edition of the 2014 classic focuses on the concentration of midcentury houses in New Canaan, Connecticut, built by noted architects including Marcel Breuer, Eliot Noyes, Philip Johnson, John Black Lee, and Edward Durell Stone. This new edition addresses the issue of preservation and adaptive reuse as a sustainable architectural strategy. A representative group of 17 houses reveals an evolving legacy, now adapting to contemporary life. Each is examined in detail, with plans, timelines, and both archival and new photography, capturing the clean, minimalist look of the initial construction and re-imagining by significant architects of our time. Today preservation and renovation of older buildings has new visibility as a sustainable approach. As the National Trust for Historic Preservation has said, "The greenest building is the one that is already built."