As history repeats itself, everything that is old is new again and is trending in 2015 Orlando North and Daytona Beach home interiors. The design theme is called Mid-Century Modern.
Definition: “Mid-Century” meaning the middle of the 1900s; “Modern” meaning clean lines and spindly legs, tulip and stacking chairs, tandem seating (think airports), and modular furniture (think offices).
Excitement filled the air when the Second World War ended and the boys came home. Homes everywhere shifted to spaces filled for entertainment — there was a thirst for trendy new “modern” designs. Furniture with clean lines – straight lines, curvy lines – with minimal intricate details was developed. Mid-Century Modern furniture has spindly legs, is modular, and was created from new materials into new designs; wood was bent, plastic was molded. Three prominent furniture designers appeared on the scene during this time period. Charles and Ray Eames were noted for bending wood into chairs. Time Magazine called their creation “the chair of the century”.
Herman Miller sought out ingenious designers to work for Michigan Star Furniture Company. Gilbert Rohde produced both residential and office furniture with an Art Deco slant. George Nelson developed modular furniture for both residential and office interiors. Other prominent designers joined as well. Furniture was viewed from that point as very forward thinking and, well, modern.
Knoll’s furniture design included architect Eero Saarinent’s tulip chair. The tulip chair was created with molded plastic mounted onto a balanced aluminum base. This chair became quite popular on the design circuit.
Accessories of the Mid-Century Modern period included ceramics and glass. Their lines were modest and simple, just like the furniture of the time. Pyrex, developed by Corning, was heat-resistant glassware and is still found today on the market. Metalwork of gold, silver, brass, copper, and iron continued to be used. Window treatments went minimalist as blinds and shades were developed. The heavy layered draperies of eras gone by dissipated
Synthetic carpets of rayon and nylon were developed. These, along with natural fabrics, continued to be used in flooring. Wallpapers contained patterns of geometrics, leaves and Art Deco; these were produced on paper and foil.
Examples of colors found in Mid-Century Modern interiors are
Below are a few links to web sites to find treasures of Mid-Century Modern. These sites show some very good examples of the furniture of this time period. Happy shopping!
http://www.modcribla.com/ (Sunbeam Vintage)
Well, there you have it a history lesson and a how-to create Mid-Century Modern for your interior design. Thanks for dropping by and reading “Adding that Retro Twist through Mid-Century Modern.” To learn more about Foxy Interiors design services, click on the link.
