Mid-Century Modern Furniture
£34.10£47.50 (-28%)
From armchairs and chaises longues to cabinets and nightstands, the period between the late 1930s and early 1970s was one of the most productive, inventive and exciting eras for objects and furniture in the home. Post-war optimism combined with new manufacturing methods and material techniques to create an explosion of new design and objects of desire.
The appetite for mid-century modern remains as strong as ever, both for classic designs – many still in production since they were launched – and for rare, hard-to- find or out-of-production pieces from lesser-known designers. While numerous books surveying mid-century modern style have appeared over the years, no publication has been specifically conceived for the increasing collector’s market in mid-century modern design, focusing on each piece of furniture as an object of formal invention, manufacturing intelligence and material innovation.
This definitive book profiles hundreds of pieces in a substantial format perfect for reference in design libraries, studios and the homes of private collectors – or as an object of design in its own right. Each item of furniture is presented in detail, illustrated in colour and profiled via in-depth descriptive texts by Dominic Bradbury. The book’s substantial reference section includes essays on materials (eg, plywood) and designer profiles. Work by a host of influential talents is profiled throughout, alongside lesser-known pieces by Piet Hein, Bruno Mathsson, Lina Bo Bardi and Alexander Girard.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1st edition (13 Oct. 2022) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 448 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0500022224 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0500022221 |
| Dimensions | 23.88 x 4.32 x 28.96 cm |
by Robin
As the last century’s ‘mid-century’ fades into history it increases the interest in past creativity and anyone curious about furniture design during those years will enjoy this book’s comprehensive look at the subject. The eight main chapters (chairs; chaises longues; stools, sofas, tables, consoles and credenzas; desks and storage; beds) are further divided into sections, for example, Tables look at dining tables, coffee tables and occasional tables. About the only free-standing piece of furniture missing are wardrobes.
The longest chapter (Chairs with 106 pages) shows just how creative designers can be with a seating unit. Eero Aarnio’s 1966 ball chair looks incredibly comfortable which probably doesn’t quite apply to Poul Kjaerholm’s 1952 PKO chair, despite its clever design. The Tables chapter shows how designers created original products with something that is just a flat surface and four legs, though sometimes just one leg. Cini Boeri’s 1972 Lunario table is a circular piece of thick glass resting on a single offset round steel base. Isamu Noguchi 1944 model IN-50 coffee table is here and Yves Klein’s 1961 Table Blue, a Plexiglass oblong case partially filled with blue pigment. The Desks and storage chapter had some interesting examples of office furniture, that chapter’s intro essay reveals that companies became interested in well-designed furniture for their office staff and especially executive desks.
A really impressive thing about the book is the high-quality photos (over 450). They have all come from the Wright 20 auction house and were photographed on a white background so there is a uniform look to all the furniture throughout the pages. Each piece is one to a page with a technical caption and a hundred words or so about the designer and the product. The back pages have an index, directory of designers and a spread each about wood, plywood, plastics and steel (I would have expected to see these eight pages on the front pages). The author has written what will probably become the standard reference title for mid-century modern furniture. You can look inside the book at Westread Book Reviews then click 2022 and October.