Words of the moment to describe fabrics and wall coverings with a decidedly mid-century vibe. With pops of color and space-age cool, your pad can be uber-hip and shagadelic, baby! Here are a few of our favorites.
Amy Lau’s delicious new collection for S. Harris. Shown below: Supergrafil in Earthwork and Waterblocks in Aqua.
By Melanie Carlson
During our last Lushpad give-away, asked you who your favourite furniture designers were and here are the results. It wasn’t really a surprise that Ray & Charles Eames won by a landslide (67%), but there are some surprises amongst our Top Ten Designer List! Let us know your thoughts on our line up.
By Melanie Carlson
Herman Miller is introducing five new colors to its range of Eames Molded Plastic Chairs. Now you have 10 colors to pick from in both the side chair and armchair models. The new colours are Aqua sky, java, wafer, greystone, and sparrow. They’re also adding another two bases to the range – the stacking and the 4-legged frame.
“The introduction of these colors and bases is a response to the increasing popularity of these chairs. They serve a variety of residential and commercial applications, and the additional colors and bases will provide a broader range of options for our customers,” says product manager Gregg VanderKooi. “Since Herman Miller is the only licensed manufacturer of these chairs in North America, we believe it’s important to provide authentic choices to protect the integrity of these classic designs.”
The chair shells, once made of fiberglass-infused plastic, are produced in environmentally friendly polypropylene, a decision made by the company almost a decade ago to reinforce its commitment to sustainability. In addition, the chairs now are made in the United States to reduce their manufacturing carbon footprint.
Ray & Charles Eames designed their molded plastic armchair in 1948 for entry in the International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture organized by the New York Museum of Modern Art. Herman Miller introduced the armchair, along with a companion side chair in 1950, and they soon found broad acceptance in residential and institutional markets—becoming the first mass-produced plastic chairs. Herman Miller reintroduced the Eames molded plastic chairs in 2001 and then dramatically increased the offering in 2005 as part of its ‘Get Real’ campaign for authenticity.
By Melanie Carlson
Check out Barneys New York windows on Madison and 61st between May 11th and June 1st for a real treat. A collection of iconic Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chairs, as re-imagined by some of today’s most celebrated street artists will be on display. These one of a kind chairs will be auctioned off online to benefit Operation Design.
Operation Design organizes architects, graphic designers, construction and related professionals to work with schools and inspire students. I don’t know about you, but I think this is an absolutely wonderful cause. The online auction starts May 11th when you can start the bidding at the Operation Design site.
Check out some of the fabulous artist who are participating!
By Melanie Carlson
I’m always being asked which books to buy on mid-century modernism, so I’ve compiled a list of my current top 5 books under $50. Lushpad has a larger list of books over at Amazon if you want to have a look for some more great mid-mod books.
If you’ve got any suggestions to add to the list, let us know in the comments section, we’ll be sure to include them!
Vintage Furniture: Collecting and Living with Modern Design Classics
I love, love, love this book as an all-round primer for anyone interested in mid-century modern furniture. Fay Sweet highlights the most iconic pieces from each international design movement, exploring the key designers, details and materials that define the most influential and collectible furniture created since the turn of the twentieth century. This is definitely my number one book choice.
Our Price: $34.20 (only 3 left on Amazon) Buy it Now!
Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style
Got this book as a Christmas present and think it’s absolutely great! Created by mid-century modern dealer Andrew Weaving and design commentator Neil Bingham, “Modern Retro” shows you how to take the best designs in furniture, glass, ceramics and textiles from the 1920s to the 1970s and use them throughout your home in a relaxed and individual way.
Our Price: $29.99 Buy it Now!
The Complete Case Study Houses Program
If you don’t know about the The Case Study House Program (1945-66) you’re in for a treat. This book showcases the 36 prototype homes designed by such great talents as Richard Neutra, Charles & Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen that re-defined the affordable, modern post-war home. The book contains beautiful photos, detailed floorplans and other documentation of all the homes. (there’s even a Jumbo Coffee Table version worth $229.49 if you’re feeling really flush).
Our Price: $44.09 Buy it Now!
Julius Shulman: Chicago Mid-Century Modernism
I can’t say I own this book yet, but I’ve pre-ordered it and can’t wait to get my hands on it. New and vintage photography of America’s modernist architectural mecca taken by legendary architectural photographer, Julius Shulman. The book features the elegantly modern Minsk House, designed by Keck & Keck in 1955; the 1960 Burton Frank House, a mid-century modern gem; architect Harry Weese’s inspired modernist home and studio of 1957; and many other modern masterpieces.
Our Price: $37.80 Pre-Order it Now!
Living Retro
Great interiors from around the world featuring classic mid-century modern pieces. Andrew Weaving celebrates retro style in all its guises with this multi-faceted book embracing many different decorative styles but always at its heart, a passion for vintage furniture and an understanding of the very best twentieth-century design. The interiors featured are varied in style, ranging from a slick, minimalist loft in London to an eclectic Parisian home full of found objects and a New York apartment that’s a cocktail of color and pattern.
Our Price: $19.77 Buy it Now!
By Melanie Carlson
Terrence has done a great job of mixing contemporary and mid-century, and his dog is a cutie! Side tables and coffee table are Lane Acclaim and Terrence refinished them himself. The pair of vintage turquoise blue lamps tie the room together beautifully and are accented by the painting Terrence did himself. We’re looking forward to seeing more!
By Melanie Carlson
Charles Eames turned his curiosity and enthusiasm into creations that established a whole new look in design. He achieved his monumental success by responding to the questions: Does it interest and intrigue? Can be made better? Will I have “serious fun” doing it? “The details are not details,” said Charles. “They make the product.” Lean and modern. Playful and suited to the space. Clean and beautifully simple. That was and is the ʻEames lookʼ which the “Dreams of Eames” exhibition pays tribute.
Elroy Artspace in Portland, Oregon is holding a group show tribute to the Eames’ work which promises to be a great exhibit (one of my favourite lushpad regulars is CZM who will be part of the show). The show opens April 1st. If you’re in Portland, then you should be there – and send me photos. Please.
By Melanie Carlson
Seeing as the next few weeks are going to be devoted to all things Ray & Charles Eames, I’ve gathered together a collection of videos. The Powers of Ten is their most famous film work, and definitely worth watching if you haven’t seen it before.
By Melanie Carlson
Sarah Morehouse, Art Director at Mirror Show and resident of Rochester, New York has been collecting mid-century modern furniture for about 6 years now. Her favourite piece is the Heywood-Wakefield dining room set she found for a steal. A little bit of tender loving care has made it the shining jewel of her collection.
By Melanie Carlson
Our list of current and upcoming design and modernism-related exhibitions, conferences, films and tours. To add an event, click here.
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Every now and then we come across some really great books on mid-century modern furniture, architecture and contemporary design. Here are some of our favourites. Full list here.
5 Must-Have Mid-Century Modern Books
I’m always being asked which books to buy on mid-century modernism, so I’ve compiled a list of my current top 5 books under $50. Lushpad has a larger list of books over at Amazon if you want to have a look for some more great mid-mod books.
If you’ve got any suggestions to add to the [...]
Library Editions by Robert Chaplin
Robert Chaplin, a Vancouver-based artist, gemstone carver, poet, and publisher, has recently opened up shop on Etsy so the world (not just Vancouver) can buy his delightful books for children and adults alike. The 32-page hardcover books contain everything from learning to count, to cooking the perfect pot of delicious chicken soup. The [...]
Mid-Century Modern Cool – Kevin Dart
“A Kiss from Tokyo” is a beautiful animation created for Kevin Dart’s newly released book about Yuki 7 entitled, “Seductive Espionage, the world of Yuki 7″ which chronicles the production of this imaginary 1960’s spy film franchise. The world they have created is beautiful and definitely inspired by two of my favourite shows growing up, “The Avengers” and “James Bond”. You can purchase the book via Fleet Street Scandal.
Mid-Century Modern: Interiors, Furniture, Design Details
Mid-Century Modern: Interiors, Furniture, Design Details (Conran Octopus Interiors) by Bradley Quinn
Mid-Century Modern explores the interior decor of this seminal decade, concentrating on all aspects of a home’s decoration-walls, flooring, surfaces, lighting, and, of course, furniture. Case studies examine beautiful present-day homes that exhibit mid-century style in an exemplary way, and suggest ideas for taking [...]
Twentieth-Century Design (Oxford History of Art)
Twentieth-Century Design (Oxford History of Art)
by Jonathan M. Woodham
The most famous designs of the twentieth century are not those in museums, but in the marketplace. The Coca-Cola bottle and McDonald’s logo are known the world over and may tell us more about our culture than a narrowly-defined canon of classics. One of the world’s [...]
