Mid-Century Online Magazine

Charles (1907-1978) and Ray (1912-1988) Eames were a powerhouse design team that made an extraordinary, lasting impression on the fields of modern architecture and furniture. Also working in the fields of industrial and graphic design, as well as fine art and film, it seems a conversation about mid-century design cannot realistically omit the Eames and their continuously influential vision.

In an era when women were often seen and not heard, let alone noted for design talents, Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906-1999) sustained an inexhaustible forty-year career on two continents, Europe and North America, enjoying achievements in industrial design, interior design and architecture before dropping off the design radar in the 1960s.

Best known for his elegant furniture in teak and rosewood, Danish designer and cabinetmaker Niels O. Møller (1920-1982) is one of the strongest representatives for Danish post-war furniture design, operating during a time with high demands on materials and craft skills.

Jens Risom is considered an exemplar of mid-century modern design and is credited with being one of the first designers to introduce Scandinavian craftsmanship to the post-war United States.

Hans J. Wegner (April 2, 1914 - January 26, 2007) was a world renowned Danish furniture designer. His high-quality and focused work, coupled with strenuous efforts from several of his manufacturers, contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design.

George C. Mulhauser, Jr. and his creations sit comfortably among the ranks of the greatest and most innovative mid-century modern furniture practitioners and designs. Over five decades, Mulhauser constantly enjoyed challenging production techniques and the way in which materials are used.

Danish designers Peter Hvidt (1916-1986) and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen (1907-1993) worked together between 1944 and 1975, founding the firm Hvidt & Mølgaard, which still exists to this day.During their collaborative years, they developed pioneering furniture sets and embarked on architectural projects which still define Scandinavian furniture stylings and Nordic design know-how into the present day.

Recent years have seen a heightened interest in the life and works of Adrian Pearsall, a seemingly little-known mid-century modern furniture designer, enthusiastic yachtsman and philanthropist. Pearsall’s catalogue of work is extensive, and as he allowed time for custom work that was shipped worldwide, constructing a complete list of all of his truly inspired designs is almost impossible.

George Nelson, one of the godfathers of American Modernism and a designer of some of the most iconic mid-century furniture, also put his name to an intriguing series of wall and table clocks for the Howard Miller Clock Company. With the help of his studio, George Nelson Associates, Inc., over 150 now-classic clocks were produced.

Swedish ceramicist Gunnar Nylund (1904-1997) is best known as one of the legendary Rörstrand pottery factory’s most prolific ceramic designers. Europe’s largest stoneware fountain, the ‘Scanisarius’, in Sweden, also bears his name and museums worldwide have scrambled to acquire some of his more rare and monumental pieces.

Researching mid-century modern design often turns up intriguing stories that read like the greatest noir mysteries. In its heyday, bathed in cigarette smoke, Mad Men-esque office politics and liquid lunch-fueled moments of creative genius, it was also an arena of misattribution, talent poaching and court cases.

C. Jeré, Artisan House and its awesome sculptural works, have become synonymous with mid-century design and contemporary modernist settings. Similarly, it is known for large-scale, ambitious, gallery-quality works of art.

Børge Mogensen is remembered as one of the most important among a generation of visionary furniture designers who helped further the now-renowned concept of Danish design internationally. Alongside colleagues such as Arne Jacobsen and Hans J. Wegner, Mogensen nurtured international respect for Danish furniture craftsmanship, and his simple and functional designs have enjoyed worldwide demand for more than half a century.

Danish design visionary, Poul Kjærholm developed a style borne from a combination of unshakeable ideals and a heightened sense of form and industrial dimension, which he sought to idealise throughout his work. He is one of the most fondly remembered Danish mid-century furniture design masters.

Referred to as “legendary” and a “pioneer of Swedish glass art”, Vicke Lindstrand’s name has become synonymous with beautiful glassware that is now a sought-after and revered example of Scandinavian mid-century design.

Architect, interior designer and planner, Warren Platner produced a furniture collection that has proved to be a continuing icon of 1960s Modernism. He is also famed with designing several prominent interiors in New York, including headquarter offices for the Ford Foundation building and the original Windows on the World restaurant, atop the World Trade Centre.

Pierre Cardin has been among the five best known Frenchmen in the world since 1960. Born Pietro Cardin to French parents on 7 July, 1922 at San Biagio di Callalta, Venice, he is best known for his avant-garde style and Space-Age designs, preferring geometric shapes and ignoring the constraints of form and surroundings.

Imagination and necessity launched the already successful photographer, Willy Rizzo, into the world of furniture design. As a photographer of playboys and starlets, he had a ready-made customer base eager to build their living quarters around an ultra-modern Rizzo piece and items that remain as timeless as his images.

Elio Martinelli’s ingenious lights have gone on to become 20^th century design icons. As testaments to his enthused vision and refined approach, they boast timeless simplicity and a tangible appreciation for the wide range of materials he utilised. Martinelli’s vintage pieces are sought-after gems for collectors and are constantly inspirational.

Born 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut, industrial designer, architect and journalist, George Nelson was one of the founding fathers of American Modernism. While Director of Design for the Herman Miller furniture company between 1945 and 1972, Nelson, and his design studio, George Nelson Associates, Inc., designed much of the 20th century’s most iconic modernist furniture.

A designer-pioneer of the Modern movement, Milo Baughman’s name is well-known within mid-century modern furniture circles, as well as being solidly linked to the ideas that defined his timeless work: simplicity, distinction and enduring appeal.

I have recently purchased a few nice, vintage chess sets and while researching them, I came across what I believe to be some really beautiful sets that have sold at auction over the last few years. I'll start with the ones I bought. First up, is this Austin Cox 1962 chess set made from aluminium as a gift from the ALCOA aluminium company given out to their customers.

Part 2 of my Homage to Pierre Cardin is based on the lamps that bear his name. I have one such lamp on my site, it's the coil or spring lamp made by the Laurel lamp company. The lamp is made from a thin sheet of brass coiled into a small spring shape with a milk glass shade that is attached to the brass (this lamp also comes in a chrome finish). The lamp does not have an etched/laser cut name like the furniture, but instead has a sticker with the Pierre Cardin signature on it.

This post is dedicated to Pierre Cardin and his designs (or at least the ones that bear his name). I am aware of the fact that Monsieur Cardin was famed for being the King of the License, but I am going to overlook this fact and refer to anything that bears his name, or logo, as being a Pierre Cardin product.

One of my current favourites are desks, you cant beat a good mid-century desk and here are some of the best ones I've failed to buy this year.

In the number one slot was this M.F Harty desk by Stow Davis that sold along with its credenza at Bonhams and Butterfild in LA. I believe this model desk is the same as the one used as P Diddy's desk in the film 'Get Him to the Greek'. If there is a nicer desk that exists, then I have yet to come across it.

I'm going to go back over a few pieces I've sold during the last two years and hopefully give some form of insight into why I bought them and why I feel they will remain valuable over the coming the years and therefore avoid becoming landfill. My method for buying is based on whether or not I love the piece, I get an immediate and strong reaction to the pieces I buy and I envision how they would look in potential different settings. I obviously have some favorite designers like Milo Baughman and Willy Rizzo so I try to buy pieces by them but Im always coming across new designers and manufacturers that make interesting pieces.