A Brief History of Mid-Century Modern Design (2024)

01.04.2022 Admin 1761

A popular saying goes, you do not know where you are going if you do not know where you are coming from. Mid-century describes a period from the middle of the 20th century. Roughly 1945 to 1969 during the post-World War II period. The mid-century design has been thoroughly studied by different scholars and is visible in museums nowadays.

Mid-century modern design was invented by Journalist Cara Greenberg in 1984. She wrote a book called Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s. This is after most homes adapted mid-century design when rebuilding and bringing modernism into America's post-war suburbs. In this article, we will see how the transformation took place and why most homes are settling for this type of design.

Mid-century style first made its appearance in the west cost of America as a competitive housing design that was in Europe at that time. There was an urge to make homes more modern at the same time ensure the residents do not overstretch their available finances. Since the spaces were quite small, there was a need to design chairs that could fit into different spaces. This was made possible by architectures such as Charles and Ray Eames in America.

Gradual changes

Modern homes slowly adapted this as people needed to come up with unique furniture to perfectly fit the desired spaces. This also breaks the monotony of having the same shape of chairs or couches in all homes. Different materials make different chairs and people always come up with colours that complement the chairs.

In the 1950s, designers such as Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobson focused on designs that reflected simplicity rather than dramatic designs on different furniture. This does not however mean chairs resumed having their original look. They assumed clean lines and sharp angles that reflected light and caught the attention of a viewer at first sight.

Over time, furniture took a new form with other house items such as tables and cupboards. This ensured these items are easy to handle, clean and designed. They were also designed to mainly achieve their functional purpose. For example, chairs had armrests to fully support the body.

Adaptation

In Europe at the same time, these designs started becoming popular as a result of a need for fitting all the furniture in a single space. Furniture was one of the easiest means to build a well-decorated home in a small space. Hence, with time classic designers became popular such as Jozef Chierowski in Poland.

Jozef came up with a more comfortable chair designs such as those with cushions and two-seaters. Considering the people were still poor and struggling economically from the war, this design was well appreciated for a long while. It still is common in the modern century. Minimalist designers prefer this as it occupies a small space, can be moved to a different location easily and has a unique design.

After things began to settle down and people were slowly advancing to modern times, homes started introducing garages. In the 1920s, vehicles became more popular and there was a need to safely store them. This led to bigger homes and independence unlike life in the suburbs. Slowly, homes began advancing with new technology as the need for privacy began to increase.

Between a struggling economy, builders had to come up with more pocket-friendly ideas for their clients. Hence, cheaper materials to be used at home became more popular such as plastics, faux; wood imitation, plywood and metal. Wood was quite expensive at that time hence people opted for use of these materials in their homes.

Inventing new forms

These materials opened an opportunity to blend different colours for different household items. Designers also got the motivation to try out different designs for different household items. Homes began using normal items such as décor and aesthetics. In the modern century, homes have continued to use this invention and made their homes more comfortable. There is no limit to what you can do with different colours, different building materials and different design ideas. There is never a limit.

The art of minimal designs to make all items in the room stand out is still used in the modern century. Often there is an urge to create a gorgeous home but blend it well. Designers are always encouraged to come up with designs that make a room elegant and not busy. Have you ever walked into a room and the first thing you notice is the well-curved coffee table or a side table?

This is achievable in different parts of the house as well. Especially the bedroom. Do not clutter your sleeping space with more than enough furniture. The goal is to have a wonderfully designed space with elegant furniture and well-blended colours. At Home Design Institute, we train students how to adapt different design methods and blend them to come up with a unique style. With our Interior Design Course, you will get the right theoretical and practical knowledge .

Due to diversity in design ideas, in the modern century, designers have often combined traditional materials with modern affordable materials. For example, the emergence of coffee tables with wooden legs and glass surfaces is common. This makes the place stand out and expensive. Unlike the traditional times when designers only used the same material to come up with a single design, the future is quite unpredictable.

The curiosity of the future

The modern century anticipates what is yet to be unveiled in the future. Hence, museums and exhibition centres are looking forward to having homes come up with better designs by challenging designers to work together and see which team brings out the best among all designers. Young homeowners are interested in vintage items as they stand out. In addition to this, their spaces are also small as most live alone or have small families. Homes, therefore, are changing and history is repeating itself in unique ways.