Decoding Midcentury Furniture: A Guide to Understanding Its Timeless Appeal

Mid-Century design saw an explosion in radical thinking and designs which shaped the world we live in today. The development of new materials such as plastic and fiberglass, provided designers with new canvases with which they could re-shape things that had been around for centuries, such as chairs and tables, or invent new pieces such as radios and other battery-operated devices. Within this blog we will be specifically looking into the importance of mid-century furniture and how it is still extremely popular today.

The mid-century modern period coincides with the mid-century design era. The period these two movements coexist within was between the mid-1930s and the mid-1960s. It spanned an era of major technological developments, some, sadly, from disastrous times and others from more enlightened times, but this distinctive clash of the two allowed for these movements to prosper. The drastic changes in world-focus during this period heavily influenced the design interests of the time and created the two distinct styles in this era, the more utilitarian approach lending itself to the use of more conventional materials such as leather and wood and the more enlightened, advanced, view using brand new materials like plastic and fiberglass.

The beauty of this time, however, was in the gentle marrying of the old and new; new developments in technology meant that materials could be shaped into forms they once could never be made into. The bending of materials; without losing strength, was one of these major developments, allowing both utilitarian and modern designers to populate this exploding market. The Eames’s famously learnt how to mould plywood to produce their iconic Plywood Dining and Living Chairs whilst Bertoia focused more on the use of metal and bending this hard material to create intricate, airy, yet solid designs to create the Bertoia Side Chair.

This hunger to use these new amazing materials provides one possible answer to a big question that is asked ‘how can you tell if furniture is mid-century’. This is understandable, especially when we consider that many of these iconic design pieces are still in production today! The new materials, along with the means to re-shape older materials such as wood, saw the introduction of ergonomic thinking and, what we like to call, the start of the ‘function with form’ factor; making something function perfectly whilst looking, quite simply, like a piece of art. This artistic drive saw the design of the products become more organic in their shape and using more clean lines whilst maintaining a minimalist form. Take the iconic Eames fiberglass side chair for example; the shape of the top perfectly rounds to your back and is a simple, elegant, single formed shape whilst utilising the, at the time, highly modern material, fiberglass, to be both strong and light.

This advanced thinking; ergonomic form with the clash of old and new created, what is arguably, some of the most timeless designs the world has ever known. Numerous mid-century furniture designs are still in production today; with some never ceasing production like the impressive Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman set, which has helped cement these pieces as popular furniture pieces. The design style born after this period took much inspiration from it and only helped fuel the re-emergence of many of the pieces in the 80s and 90s and we are seeing the same again even today. No matter the space you are looking to fill, there is always a mid-century design piece there to bring it that last bit of something that finishes it off well.

For many, these goliaths in design history hark back to a time when the world was really moving forward and not looking back, when everything was new and exciting and nothing was deemed to be impossible. This is very much reflected in the pieces themselves which is why they stay in our hearts and live on in our homes and even workplaces. This innovation has lent a hand to the designers of today who are even known to hark back to this time for inspiration of their own; a few years now, it may be, but Yves Behars very much did this with the Leaf Lamp, blending the mid-century flare for organic shapes and clean lines whilst introducing advanced technology such as touch sensitive controls and LED lights.

When we think of mid-century furniture, then, we may think of the beginning of ‘modern civilisation’ and the introduction of a more radical way of thinking which still very much influences tastes and trends today. The drive for the use of new materials and new manufacturer methods fuel the competitive streak to outdo each other, creating a thriving industry that relied upon reliability in the product coupled with its function and finished with its style. This strong connection has only helped ensure that the original starters of this movement, Van Der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Nelson, Eames, Bertoia, Saarinen, Aarnio, the list goes on, have remained a constant in our interior design and, we are sure, they will remain to be the case for many more years to come. Their effortless style and sophistication are only countered by their simpleness; do they do what they are meant to do? Yes. Do they come with that belief that you can continue to use it as it was originally intended in 20 years time? Yes. And do they come with that ability to take your guests breath away when they see it for the first time? We would most definitely say, yes.