Mid-Century Modern Furniture

by Dominic Bradbury

The ultimate collector’s resource, including hundreds of pieces by both well- and lesser-known designers from around the world.  From armchairs and chaises lounges to cabinets and nightstands, the period between the late 1930s and early 1970s was one of the most productive, inventive, and exciting eras for objects and furniture in the home. Following 1945, when postwar optimism combined with new manufacturing methods and material techniques, there was an explosion of design innovation and demand for goods. The appetite for mid-century modern remains as strong as ever, both for classic designs―many still in production since they were launched―and for rare, hard-to-find pieces from lesser-known designers. While numerous books surveying mid-century modern style have appeared over the years, this volume is specifically for the increasing collector’s market in mid-century modern design, focusing on each piece of furniture as an object of formal invention, manufacturing intelligence, and material innovation. Overflowing with vibrant color photography, Mid-Century Modern Furniture profiles hundreds of pieces and is a perfect reference in design libraries, studios, andthe homes of private collectors―or as an object of design in its own right. Each item of furniture is presented in illuminated with vibrant illustrations and profiled via in-depth descriptive texts by design writer Dominic Bradbury. The book’s substantial reference section includes essays on materials and a directory of designers. Work by a host of influential talents is profiled throughout, alongside lesser-known pieces by Piet Hein, Bruno Mathsson, Lina Bo Bardi, and Alexander Girard.  450 illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

448 pages, Hardcover

Published November 8, 2022

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

High end collectable furniture which I have never seen in person, only in photos or movies. The colors and textures gave me flashbacks. I have seen the knock off copies - many of which fell apart and wound up in the landfill decades ago. On the other hand, I do have a late 40s desk that I'm typing this on of high quality plywood, so not everything was poorly made. The plastic chairs and the like I can pass on but this book shows the full range from chrome to wood.

This is a lovely volume, a large format book printed on heavy, glossy paper with some good text but is mostly beautiful, furniture porn. Don't drop it, you could hurt your toes.

[Alexander Pyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honestly great resource for anyone who enjoys the Modern aesthetic - especially mid-century. Was flipping through this as research, and I was truly struck by the wealth of information, even in the small captions explaining the furniture's invention/origin. Bradbury did a fantastic job with this volume.

[sky · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is a collective rating