Monday 2 March 2009

Mid Century Modern


On the look out for a 1950s chair I have realised that I am hooking into a new trend without realising it . I just wanted a chair to show off my fabric and to tie in with my designs and being a 1950s child ..... Perhaps I have been subliminally influenced or maybe Lucy's interest in Ercol or my attraction to her work( Lucy Turner of Higher Market Street Studio Penryn with whom I have an ongoing work experience and have recently had a day sourcing furniture at the St Day auction and various second hand shops in the area .)
I find it fascinating how trends arise . Is it the whole economic make do and mend culture reemerging as from the post war years ?
This one was on EBAY since then I visited a new shop in Falmouth on Killigrew Street ,Elephant and Monkey , run by Rowena (namesake) who is selling Mid Century Modern furniture and bits (mags, ceramics , cards ) 1950s . It is an amazing shop well worth a visit and who should be in there browsing but Lucy Turner !
Rowena said that the design I am looking at would be difficult to reupholster and that if I want to resell it the fabric and filling would have to be fireproofed but that one way out of this was to sell it as a collectors piece not suitable for domestic use and then the emphasis is on the consumer and you are covered . Very useful information and I also found out there is a second hand sale on the last Saturday of each month at the WI in Falmouth which may have useful things , fabrics etc .

Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior and product design form that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture, and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965. The term was coined in 1983 by Cara Greenberg for the title of her ground-breaking book, _Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s_ (Random House), celebrating the style which is now recognized by scholars and museums worldwide as a significant design movement. Mid-century architecture was a further development of Frank Lloyd Wright's principles of organic architecture combined with many elements reflected in the International and Bauhaus movements. Mid-century modernism, however, was much more organic in form and less formal than the International Style. Scandinavian designers and architects were very influential at this time, with a style characterized by simplicity, democratic design and natural shapes. Like many of Wright's designs, Mid-Century architecture was frequently employed in residential structures with the goal of bringing modernism into America's post-war suburbs. This style emphasized creating structures with ample windows and open floor-plans with the intention of opening up interior spaces and bringing the outdoors in. Many Mid-century homes utilized then groundbreaking post and beam architectural design that eliminated bulky support walls in favor of walls seemingly made of glass. Function was as important as form in Mid-Century designs with an emphasis placed specifically on targeting the needs of the average American family. Examples of residential Mid-Century modern architecture are frequently referred to as the California Modern style.

Pioneering builder and real estate developer Joseph Eichler was instrumental in bringing Mid-Century Modern architecture to subdivisions in California and select housing developments on the east coast. George Fred Keck, Henry P. Glass and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created Mid-Century Modern residences in the Chicago area. Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House is extremely difficult to heat or cool, while Keck and Glass were pioneers in the incorporation of passive solar features in their houses to compensate for their large glass windows.


1 comment:

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