What exactly is Mid-Century Modern? Well, I can tell you that it started a design movement back in the late 1920s originally originating from America. The time span is hard to narrow down, it has been found to start in the late 1920s to the mid 1960s, but a lot of people condense the window down to around 1947 to 1957. The issue with the narrowed down window is it misses some iconic designs such as Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair.

How To Describe Mid-Century Modern?

For furniture, Mid-Century Modern can be described as clean with curvaceous lines, tapered legs and the use of man-made and organic materials. The colour palette includes cool teals, greys and dusky blues along with bolds, warm colours like mustard, burnt orange and olive green.

Who Was One Of The First Designers?

Over in Europe, a similar design movement was happening. The Bauhaus Design School in Germany brought us some of the first designers for the Mid-Century Modern movement, one of them being Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe. His most iconic and well-known design was the Barcelona Chair, which he designed for Spanish Royalty back in 1929. He moved further in the direction of Architecture than furniture design, but his structural integrity and priority of function also came in handy for some pieces of furniture.

Other Designers Who Made An Impact On The Design Movement

When somebody mentions Mid-Century Modern designers, the first name that normally comes to mind is Eames. A husband and wife duo, Charles and Ray Eames goal was to create comfortable and design-led furniture that was affordable for everyone to enjoy. Together, they created some of the most iconic pieces of furniture from the whole movement. Well-known designs include their Eames Lounge Chair and Eiffel Chair. They had an innovative approach to design and were some of the first to use fibreglass for their Eiffel Chair designs, years later this has now been updated to use moulded plastic.

The Eiffel collection is made up originally of 5 designs, the first being the DAR, then they went on to design the DSW, DAW, DSR and Eames Rocking Chair. The original designs will set you back, but you can find accurate reproductions of the original designs at a fair price. They have to be stated as a reproduction, so can be found online by using search terms such as Eames Rocking Chair Replica.

Why Are Mid-Century Modern Interiors Or Pieces So Popular?

The interiors and designs are versatile and prioritise form and function, which makes them appeal to the masses. One of the reasons for its persisting popularity, is its ability to balance key design elements such as comfort, style and function.

The shapes and designs of mid-century modern furniture are now classed as timeless, so they never look out of date. The design forward thinking to prioritise function means that none of the designs are in your face, instead are simple and elegant which is subtle enough to blend with various styles.