Week 11: Mid-Century Modernism

Mid-Century Modernism was between 1950-1960s in America.  During this design period flat roofs, vast walls of glass, bi-level houses, and warm colors were popular.  Houses started to become more open and down to earth, especially in the West Coast.  Creating layouts that combine interior and exterior spaces making the flow of the house consistent.  Furniture also had many changes to the style as well and the main manufacturers were Knoll and Herman Miller.  Styles started to incorporate fiber glass and aluminum in many curvilinear designs.  Charles and Ray Eames made a huge impact in the modernism furniture.  Charles was an architect and Ray was an artist and together they designed chairs such as La Chaise, Lounge chair, and compact sofa.  They took ergonomics into consideration as well as different types of materials when designing chairs.  The typical American family was the Eames cliental.

Mid-Century Modernism had a different take by each and every designer.  Many used the same materials and ideas, but they all had different reasons and focuses when designing.  Unlike previous styles of modernisms, this version kept the furniture simple, sleek, and updated to the needs of the culture.

The image on the left is the typical design style of Josephe Eichler.  He made huge contributions to mid-century modernism building over 11,000 homes on the West coast.  The image on the right is the molded plywood chair by Charles and Ray Eames.

The image on the left is a modern application of inter mid-century modernism.  The open concept with glass as the materials for the exterior walls.  The furniture shapes and materials also follow the characteristics of modernism.  The image on the right is a modern exterior application and you can see that in the asymmetrical elevation and the mixture of flat and slightly angled roofs.

ONE STEP FURTHER:

George Nelson is who intrigued me during this chapter of mid-century modernism.  He received his educated from Yale University and eventually became the director for Hermon Miller.  Nelson also designed many iconic pieces of furniture for Miller.  George's thought process when designing was, "total design is nothing more or less than a process of relating everything to everything.”  He created may iconic pieces such as the coconut chair, the marshmallow sofa, and the platform bench.  Many of these pieces are still used in today's design world.