Mid-Century Modern, What is it and Do We Love It?
The Ultimate Mid-century Pottery, a Bitossi Cat from Italy
By now everyone has heard the phrase, mid-century modern applied to furniture, accessories, clothes, houses, and almost every trinket you can think of but what exactly is it?
The design aesthetic
of the middle of the 20th century, which has been dubbed Mid Century
Modern, or MCM, is generally thought to have begun in
America with Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs and work in what he called “organic
architecture”. Organic architecture seemed to grow naturally
out of the Arts and Crafts movement which stripped down the ponderous and
over-decorated Victorian work that preceded it and simply took it to the next level of design.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water House
If you ever get
to visit a Frank Lloyd Wright house or even get a good look at some of the wonderful
books on his work, you will begin to understand his deep belief that
all elements of a building from the windows and floors and walls to the individual
pieces of furniture intended to fill the space all relate to one another and in
turn show the interconnectedness of nature.
Wright and his contemporaries were influenced by the
Bauhaus art school in Germany, which operated from 1919 to 1933. The Bauhaus was originally founded by architect Walter Gropius envisioning the idea of a "total" work of art. A place where all the arts including architecture, design and the fine arts would come together. The result was a profound influence on every facet of the art world which still resonates today. The Nazi regime dismantled the Bauhaus school calling it a hotbed of communist intellectualism in 1933 and others picked up where the Bauhaus left off.
Classic MCM Eames Chair
In America Bauhaus style was sometimes known as the International Style. This design
work was different than the work that came before it in that it stripped away
ornamentation and relied on the lines of a building or its furniture or accessories to carry
its message. The American take on the Bauhaus and International movements was a
bit less formal, but still closer to this design ideal than
the Scandinavian and Brazilian architects and designers who were their
contemporaries and worked in a more rigid aesthetic.
Although mid-century modern is said to have begun in the
mid 1930s and ends smack at the last day of the 1960s, its heyday was the
1950s. Post-war America was eager to forget the war and embrace prosperity and
the new suburbs were a logical outgrowth of that march into the modern world.
sketch of a mid-century vacation getaway
Clean and classic MCM living room
Architects were designing houses with lots of windows and floor plans which opened the living space and
brought the outdoors in. The picture window wasn't just for a store front anymore, every house could have a wide open view built right in. Suddenly, America had money to spend and a whole new way
of thinking about home. In some cases,
entire towns embraced the MCM esthetic such as Palm Springs, California, which
is still famous for its mid-century neighborhoods.
These modern
homes called for a new type of furniture that fit in them better than Granny’s
old carved sideboard and kerosene lamps. The web is full of great examples you can look at in choosing what is and what is not MCM and what parts of it you may find appealing. Check out sources like Pinterest,
which has some great collections that will inform you and give you a great educational view of “the look.” Here is a link
to one of my own favorites.
And for some
upscale excitement, here is a link on Domaine to some of the rarer MCM
designers whose work is amazing.
The most iconic and familiar piece to most of us, the original Eames chair.
A classic Adrian Pearsall coffee table
Design included classic dressing too, like
Grace Kelly and the Kelly bag, which is still popular today
My first really vivid memory of mid-century modern before I knew there was such a thing, was my friend Alice’s house. Her mom had all white leather couches and chairs, dark teak end tables and a black baby grand piano that floated on a huge white fluffy rug. There was no color in the room and it was so beautiful I used to tiptoe through it in terror of leaving a fingerprint on something. It still impresses me still 50 years later.
Fun accessories have a sense of humor in the MCM world like this Baldelli kitty bank.
You will find lots fiberglass and plastics in the MCM world which was a whole
new place with the advent of the Atomic Look. Hair pin metal legs on tables, plastic chairs, and glass kidney shaped coffee tables along with crazy lamps abounded and are still out there for the dedicated hunter to acquire. Fans of the Atomic Age design will love this link to a great Pinterest site:
http://www.pinterest.com/gojazzy15/atomic-style-mcm/
http://www.pinterest.com/gojazzy15/atomic-style-mcm/
Teak and walnut seem to have been the most loved woods and are still
found very often in these pieces. The best pieces are never overwhelming; they
lack the ostentatious presence of pre-MCM furniture. Although these pieces
are not cheap, they are solid and of much better quality than their modern
replacements.
MCM atomic era accessories are just plain wacky fun
If you love MCM yourself and you are just dipping a toe in the collecting
waters, make sure the piece is well made and something you will love for a long
time. There may be minor wear and tear from just living in the world all these
years, but look for pieces that are still solid and unwarped. If there is any
veneer is it in good shape? Is plastic or glass unscratched and clear? Will you
need to reupholster? Can you find the right fabric to maintain the value of
your piece? Are you willing to remove paint and refinish, remembering these
finishes were very different than the ones applied now? Will you go the extra
mile to bring back its beauty?
In short, do you love it?
Do your research; the internet is a treasure trove of good information and worth consulting before you sink two weeks pay into that chair you adore. Finders Keepers Antique Mall in downtown Olympia has several dealers whose first specialty is mid-century modern they are always bringing in gorgeous new pieces of furniture and accessories to the sales floor. Who knows? The piece you will hand down through the generations may be waiting for you now, love at first sight.
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