All of us have a specific style or period of furniture that appeals to our innate (if consciously unknown) design aesthetic. Clever advertising and popular culture can help shape individual taste, sometimes causing you to abandon a former favored style for something fresher and more exciting. I must admit, those advertising efforts are wasted on me. For as long as I can remember, I have been totally enamored with Mid Century design and furniture. Nothing connects with my designer soul like the classic forms from America’s baby boom years.
I am a man mad about home furnishings from the late forties, all the fifties and the early sixties. I am drawn to fabrics and wall coverings that take me back to a time when America was possessed with a “modern aesthetic.” And I am not alone.
Devotees of Mid Century design are a loyal, committed group. Sometimes our eyes may wander over a dining chair crafted from recycled bicycle frames sporting seat cushions woven from repurposed bungee cords. That dining table crafted from reclaimed bowling alley lanes is an eye-catcher but our heart never wavers. In our soul we know that there are no others but caged wire chairs, surrounding a sleek pedestal table with a marble top.
Many factors contribute to the almost universal appeal of Mid Century design. Characterized by clean, architectural lines and an honesty of materials, these chairs, tables and accessories are ageless. They speak to a childlike innocence and awe of things totally new and unexpected, simple and graceful. The purity in use of materials and the appreciation of simple, clean-lined shapes make Mid Century design possess both a retro vibe and a futuristic feeling even now, more than 50 years after many of the pieces were introduced. Mid Century pieces are as comfortable in a modern interior as well as one more transitional.
One of the most iconic Mid Century staples is the lounge chair. Whether you like something with a dash of Danish influence (such as the walnut and fabric lounger shown here) or a more sculptural chair with sexy curves, lounge chairs conjure images of a lifestyle that afforded relaxation and entertaining. Mid century Americans were preoccupied with threats to world peace, while juggling family responsibilities and careers at the same time. The development of furniture that coaxed lounging from consumers was very appealing to those harried young couples. Even today, in the lexicon of furniture product categories, lounge pieces are a huge segment.
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