TOP TEN Mid-Century MODERN MUST HAVES 
by the Design Diva!
For those of you who want to try designing your own sexy modern space, here are some things you should absolutely try to include…
1. Eames Plywood Furniture
The Eames’s are the king and queen of postwar design innovation. These pieces reflect the essence of the era in their innovative used of plywood technology and design based on research done on the human form.
2. Marmoleum Flooring
Linoleum was the quintessential mid-century flooring material. It works well in the current design era as well do to its beneficial environmental qualities.
3. Postwar Color Palette
Any of the postwar colors from moderncolorsource.com (coming soon, in the meantime email me for info) would rock in a mid-century modern project. These colors could be used for paint, product, or finish selection. Use them as guidelines for selecting fabrics, laminated counters, or linoleum flooring options.
4. George Nelson Clock
George Nelson revolutionized the designer furniture industry through his work with Herman Miller. His clocks are representative of his efforts to create a permanent collection of modern work.
5. Maharam Fabric
This is the best collection of mid-century modern fabrics that exists. Selecting any from the suggested list would be fabulous.
6. The Barcelona Chair
This chair designed by Mies Van der Rohe may not be an American mid-century classic, but it is synonymous with modern design and works well with absolutely any style interior.
7. Saarinen Pedestal (tulip) table
Designed during the height of the modern craze this table can be added to the room as a coffee, dining, or bar table and paired with not only the pedestal (tulip) chairs or any other modern chair. It works especially well with the wire chairs by Eames or Bertoia.
8. Wire furniture by Bertoia
This was chosen because the innovative design and use of metal is reprehensive of the era.
9. Cork Flooring
Popular during the postwar era and used frequently in the Eichler homes built in California, this is an excellent alternative to hard wood. Like the linoleum, it works well blending mid-century style with the current trend for green products.
10. The Chair by Wegner
Chosen because there should be a Scandinavian piece on the list. Also, the postwar popularity of this chair cannot be ignored.
So there you have it! Slip a few of these gems into your interior and you can’t fail!
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What Does Modern Mean?
by the Design Diva
We have all heard the word ‘modern’ before, and most of us have a pretty good idea of what it means, but for the sake of my sanity I would like to define it for all of you. Modern has several connotations, but when it comes to design it is very specific and in my opinion, super important. Confusing the terms ‘modern’ and ‘contemporary’ are like calling me a ‘decorator’ (I am a DESIGNER!!! I didn’t go to school for ten years to be called a decorator!!!) Okay, I’m back. Whew, sorry….sore spot! Anyway, both modern and contemporary design rocks, and they can be intermixed (this is actually what Valley Modern Design does!), but they are two separate styles and have two separate definitions, so please indulge me. First, lets start with a little history lesson…
The Modernist movement that began in the early part of the 1900s was put on hold somewhat during the Depression and the World War Two. There was a group of designers that wanted to reject the historic design precedents set by the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, and created their own style. They believed that to advance society we must look to the future, and not to the past.
They began designing architecture and furniture that made no reference to classic styles and utilized new construction methods and materials. The movement caught on, and began to spread internationally, but World War Two halted the progress. Many of Europe’s modern leaders fled to America, and the Bauhaus school in Germany, which led the movement, was closed.
Once our battles with the Depression and Hitler’s oppression were won, the Modernist movement attempted to make a comeback here in the United States. Unfortunately, Americans were not concerned with architectural style; they only wanted the modern conveniences that new homes had to offer. Electrical kitchens, new appliances, televisions, and outdoors space were some of their primary concerns.
Modern meant something different to the masses than it did to the design industry (which is still true today and the purpose of this article). People preferred less rigidity, less geometry, softer living areas, and more color! Designers and architects longed to bring “good” design to the public and believed that by using new mass production methods, prefabrication, and innovative materials, they could lower the costs of designer products and make them more available to the average consumer.
The machine modern look invented by the Bauhaus was out, but the biomorphic and handcrafted branches of the style were somewhat more accepted.
Postwar Americans were patriotic and believed that since American had been able to win the war, we could also excel in furniture design. The American designers employed by Herman Miller and Knoll created many pieces accepted by the public. European designers found little success in the United States during this time; the only foreign design styles adored postwar were the handcrafted look of the Scandinavians that took a softer approach to modern furniture.
Scandinavian design is essentially a compromise between traditional and modern design, and succeeded in America largely because it offered what the buying public wanted; aesthetics, affordability, quality, and functionality. The simple, modern designs were influenced by the functionality of the Bauhaus era, but offered a more organic appeal consisting of natural woods and materials. Most affordable designer furniture was cheaply made; Scandinavian specimens stood strong in comparison to their competitor’s quality. In addition to offering the price and visual appeal the postwar public craved, the Scandinavians developed shipping and manufacturing techniques that served to cut costs, thus lowering prices further.
Alvar Aalto was one of the first to create “knock-down” furniture, or furniture that could be disassembled and easily reassembled upon delivery. In addition to modernizing manufacturing and shipping techniques, Scandinavian furniture makers joined forces to promote their work, opening showrooms across the globe, attracting a lot of public attention. Also known as “Danish Modern” in America, the style became so popular that copycat companies began to pop up in the United States towards the mid-fifties offering even lower prices.
After the war Americans were eager to forget the past and move toward the future, but the postwar modern style was much different from the pre-war Modernist Movement. This group of designers disapproved of the bold and busy patterns, brash color schemes, and use of cheap materials. To the postwar public, modern simply meant “new”, but to the Modernists, it was much more complex. This group of designers believed that good design should be practical, honest in style and materials, utilitarian, pure, should use technological innovation, and express quality and methods of construction.
The new styles of the 1950s used applied veneers, vivid colors, and imitation woods. There was ornamentation everywhere. The general public saw modern simply as a style that was different from the past, looked towards the future, and embraced technology.
Okay, so now we all know where modern design comes from, and the difference between mid-century modern style and Bauhaus modern style, on to the definition. Modern basically is anything that does NOT use classic design reference. It utilizes new materials, construction techniques, and patterns. It may have been designed fifty years ago, or fifteen minutes ago, but it is essentially something that is not Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Victorian…a product or look that some fabulous designer pulled out of their…ehem, the mid-air.
Contemporary design uses many modern elements, but cannot be fifty years old, it’s more specifically something that is happening today. Contemporary design may reference classic design, but still sits with today’s trends and is relevant to current cultural, technological, and socio-economic conditions.
So, there is a difference between modern, mid-century modern, and contemporary design. You are now an expert on what they all refer to, and If you read this entire article (which is entirely too long, by the way) and are still confused, DO NOT FEAR! Just hire Valley Modern Design to design your sexy space for you, and you will get the best all arenas have to offer!
Be Modern,
Design Diva