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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.