Mid-Century Modern Furniture & Decorating Sources
Mid-century modern is a design term applied most frequently
to residential and some commercial architecture, interior design and furniture. The term
is generally related to the Space Age, the International style and a sleek, cool, yet
comfortable furnishings style.
Some of the big names associated with the mid-century modern era include: Rudolf
Schindler, Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray Eames and Craig Ellwood.
Circa50--a fun colorful site. Great
navigation for quickly moving around from one product category
to another. They sell the
original The original Barcelona Series from Knoll which has been granted federal trade
dress protection as an icon of furniture design. Premium grade 304 bar stock stainless
steel frame shaped, welded and hand-buffed to a mirror finish by expert U.S. craftsmen.
Real cowhide belting straps underneath and hand-welted and hand-tufted leather cushions
from a single cowhide. Not inexpensive, but it is the real thing. Circa50 sells all the
famous pieces like The Noguchi Coffee Table, Eames chairs, Stark Louis Ghost chair, famous
lighting and George Nelson clocks made of beech, metal and acrylic-lacquer including the
ball clock. One nice feature is that the website tells you exactly what colors of each are
in stock on the day you are looking. Free shipping. www.circa50.com
Mid Century Modern--Mid-Century Modern specializes in the re-issues of modern furniture classics from Knoll, Vitra, Modernica, Cherner Chair Company, Architectural Pottery, Malm Fireplace and Daniel Donnelly. They bring best examples from the mid-century modern era to make them available today. They offer "honest" design solutions that have withstood the test of time. Now, fifty years later, the works of these groundbreaking architects and designers, including George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames, Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Jens Risom, Florence Knoll, Isamu Noguchi, Jean Prouve, and Verner Panton among others, are more popular than ever.
They also have designer lighting fixtures fro the same era. www.mid-century-modern.com
Century Modern specializes in mid century
furniture from the 1940s, thru the 1970s. If you are looking for a retro furniture style
of Danish modern or famous lines like Herman Miller, Dunbar, Knoll, check Century Modern.
The online store includes the design classics Eames, Nelson, Mies, Corbusier and Breuer.
They offer new and refurbished and vintage pieces. Stock changes frequently.
Have a look as they have a huge inventory and it is a wonderful trip thru
time. I bet if you have something in mind, they might try to locate it for
you. Once you get past the blue intro screen, the site is user
friendly. www.centurymodern.com
Highbrow Furniture--Classic mid-century
modern furniture designs. Huge inventory of furniture and decorative
accessories. They also have a section called 'Under $300" that includes
an array of choice pieces. Highbrow Furniture is an authorized retailer for Architectural Pottery, Cherner Chair
Co., Emeco, Herman Miller for the Home, Knoll. They have a nice section of under $300
items. They carry one of my favorite items, The Starck la Boheme Stools designed by
Philippe Starck. La Boheme is a collection of stools in the shape of classical vases. Each
stool is based on a different aspect of the vase, with its delicate and classical
appearance but offering stable and functional seating. La Boheme stools can also be
used as a small end tables and are perfect for use everywhere - in the living room or
kitchen or garden, on the terrace, or in a bar. www.highbrowfurniture.com
The Museum of Modern Art, MOMA,
is dedicated to being the foremost museum of modern art in the world. Central to The
Museum of Modern Art's mission is the encouragement of an ever deeper understanding and
enjoyment of modern and contemporary art by the diverse local, national, and international
audiences that it serves. Learn about renowned
designers who have helped to shape modern
design, up-and-coming new talents, and browse through the items they have created. Moma
online offers all sorts of lighting and furniture. You can order at a discount if you are
a member of Moma. Great product descriptions such as this red Eames chair
(shown) "In the early 1940s, after working all day on MGM set designs, Charles Eames returned to his small L.A. apartment with his wife, Ray. Together the two designers worked through their evenings, using thin sheets of veneer and a bicycle-pump compressor to experiment with wood-molding techniques. The technology they developed during those late hours made their revolutionary furniture designs possible, including this modest chair that Time magazine recently named the Best Design of the 20th Century. The contours of its low and casual form cradle the human body more comfortably than one would imagine can be done by a wooden chair. This licensed version by Herman Miller, the original manufacturer, is made of five-ply hardwood with eight-ply legs. Available in an ash veneer with a red finish or black finish, a natural ash veneer, or a natural walnut clear coat veneer."
http://momastore.org
GoContempo.com offers modern furnishings designed by renowned international designers. GoContempo is a great resource for modern furniture online. You will find classic modern pieces as well and new inovative contemporary items. Centrally located in the US for quick shipping of Modern Designer Furniture. Mecca for ultra contemporary furniture, and modern lighting. Check out Go Contempo's modern tables, office desks, coffee tables. They also offer sofas, chairs, modern clocks and accessories.www.GoContempo.com
Design Within Reach provides easy access to well-designed furnishings traditionally found only in designer showrooms. They are a one-stop resource for some exciting international furniture designers. They have a print catalog or you can order online. We offer products in numerous categories, including chairs and tables, workspace and outdoor furniture, lighting, floor coverings, beds and related accessories, bathroom fixtures, fans and other home and office accessories. DWR products include classic designs by mid-century furniture and lighting designers Ray and Charles Eames, Mies van der Rohe, Alvar Aalto, George Nelson, Marcel Breuer and many others. With a nod to the bentwood designs of Michael Thonet, the Holz Chair—designed by Josef Hoffman—combines classic lines with a brightly colored lacquer finish. www.dwr.com
Knoll--Since their founding in 1938, Knoll
has been recognized as a design leader worldwide. Their products are exhibited in major
art museums worldwide, with more than 40 pieces in the permanent Design Collection of The
Museum of Modern Art in New York. On Knoll Space, Knoll has assembled the best of its past
and present for the home and home office. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of this revolutionary series of single pedestal chairs and tables, Knoll is introducing a Platinum finish on all Tulip pieces and reintroducing classic Rosewood and Teak table tops. www.knoll.com
Good Eye Online--located in a retail store in Washington D.C. , Good Eye also has an online presence. The website has attractive photos of their modern furniture in room like settings. Small offering, but they do interior design. Travis Smith is best known for interior design work for clubs and restaurants in the D.C. area. He is the creative force behind several pool halls and billiard rooms. One of them, Continental was named the most imaginative billiard room in the country by USA Today. www.goodeyeonline.com
Mod North West--ModNorthWest
specializes in Mid Century modern furniture and interior decor and Danish
Modern. They are located in the
Portland, OR area but have a fun website with lots of categories.
Mod North West has glassware, barware, pottery,
wall decor and accessories for a midcentury decor. They also buy Danish
Modern furniture and especially furniture from certain designers. Many
items are reasonably priced. They even have textiles. They will also
buy from you, ... Danish Modern, Scandinavian, Hans Wegner, Eero Saarinen, Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Fritz Hansen, Ib Kofod Larsen, Hans Olson, Poul Kjaerholm, Grete Jalk, Vernor Panton, Peter Hvidt, Arne Vodder, Jens Quistgaard, Stig Lindberg and
similar .www.modnorthwest.com
Fiftie Fiftie--the number one site for modern antiques in Europe. Located in Antwerp. They offer lighting, furniture, storage units, books, seating, and have a gallery. The ship world-wide and offer wholesale prices to dealers. Their website has links to other modern furnishing dealers and online stores. www.fiftie-fiftie.com
Atom-A---Modern design from Belgium.
Atom-A focuses on the rots of modern design and the mid century modernism
after the second world war. They have info on the history of modern
furniture, and even have examples of retro advertising.The site has a good
history of modern furniture design.."In the States furniture companies Herman Miller and Knoll led the way for the new Modernism, through their uncompromising innovative products. George Nelson was the inspired Design Director for Herman Miller, who hired the other two figureheads of American Design: Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen. Saarinen also worked for Knoll. The other top Designers for Knoll were the sculptors Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi.
In Italy Pirelli asked Marco Zanuso to develop furniture using new foam and rubber materials: out of this the company Arflex was born. Arflex achieved immediate commercial success with the resulting ‘Lady' chair, the mother of all archetypal 'fifties chairs', followed by innumerable variations and copies by other designers. Tecno, another important and influential Italian furniture innovator, is best known for Osvaldo Borsani’s range of P40 reclining sofas and chairs. And let’s not forget Cassina, who collaborated with Gio Ponti to bring New Design innovations. Special mention goes to Carlo Mollino, Architect, Designer and all-round Genius addicted to sex, drugs and creativity."
and links to information about individual modern furniture
designers. www.atom-a.com
Avalon Design--an eclectic mix of vintage and original decorative works of art and furniture from the 1880's to the 1980's. They stock MidCentury furniture and decorative items. www.avalondesign.co.uk
Cloths of the 50's--interesting site with Mid-Century Design, decorative objects, furniture, lighting, and fabric. The scrolling viewer on the home page shows new items. They have fabrics from both know and unknown designers. www.cloth50s.com
VintageSwank--Vintage Clothing, Mid Century Modern Furniture, Telephones, Home & Decor and Lighting amongst many other things. Looks like content changes frequently. They have a large assortment of cool chairs today, and plenty of fun stuff to look at. One of the largest original vintage furniture stores with a 6000 sq showroom just outside of Washington DC and an online store. www.VintageSwank.com
Modern Line Furniture--imported contemporary furniture in stock. Mostly popular colors are available on the webiste like brown, black, white and red. Not sure if you can order custom leathers. They do carry a very cool circular sofa that I have seen elsewhere. They offer it in stock for immediate delivery in white, red and black leather or leather/ vinyl mix. Lots of nice looking rectangular sectional sofas. Some make into sofa beds in clever ways. The prices seem great. www.modernlinefurniture.com
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