Walk into almost any stylish home and chances are you will come across a piece of mid-century design. It might be an Ercol Windsor chair tucked beneath a scrubbed oak farmhouse table, the sculptural glow of a Noguchi paper lamp or a 1950s Danish sideboard. These pieces, despite being conceived more than half a century ago, still feel as modern and relevant as ever. And the enduring appeal was only heightened by the cultural phenomenon of Mad Men, the hit TV series which first aired in 2008 and reintroduced audiences to the seductiveness of mid-century interiors. So what is it about that era of design – broadly spanning the 1940s through to the 1970s – that continues to captivate?
‘It has wonderful clean lines and interesting shapes,’ says Venetia Rudebeck, co-founder of London design practice Studio Vero. ‘We have always been drawn to it as designers which is why mid-century pieces often feature in our projects. The style has always felt timeless.’ Mid-century design was born out of necessity. In the years following the Second World War, resources were scarce and designers were tasked with creating furniture and objects that were beautiful, functional, and capable of being mass-produced. In Denmark, Hans Wegner sculptured his now iconic Wishbone chair, the object of numerous copycat copies today, while Arne Jacobsen’s cocoon-like Egg chair remains an emblem of modern design. French duo Robert Guillerme and Jacques Chambron married robust oak with inventive sculptural forms and in the UK, Robin and Lucienne Day embodied the spirit with the Polypropylene chair, launched in 1964, which was stylish yet inexpensive enough to use in classrooms and offices. Meanwhile across the Atlantic, Charles and Ray Eames turned moulded plywood and fibre glass chairs into everyday staples.
Interior designer Alex Dauley, who often incorporates mid-century pieces into her projects, finds their simplicity a major attraction. ‘They never feel out of place,’ she says. ‘They can feel very contemporary but also add history and gravitas to a newer build.’ Alex cites furniture makers such as Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe among her go-tos. ‘Recently I added a Poul Cadovius shelving unit made of beautiful rosewood into a project. It instantly elevates a space and is built to last. There is a reason why these pieces still hold up after all these years.’ Mid-century pieces were designed with human needs at their core. Armchairs were angled for conversation, tables scaled down for smaller post-war homes and lamps designed to soften light for comfort.
‘One of the things that always draws me to them is they are really easy to mix into a scheme,’ says Charu Gandhi, founder and director of interior studio Elicyon. Scott Maddux, co-founder of Maddux Creative agrees: ‘What I love is how adaptable the pieces are – a Carlo Scarpa table, a Gio Ponti chair, or a Hans Wegner armchair can sit happily alongside contemporary pieces and antiques alike. They bring a sense of warmth and familiarity, but also a sculptural quality that elevates the rhythm of a room. The best pieces manage to balance form and function so elegantly that they slip into a space without shouting, yet they always hold their own.’
While furniture is often the focus with mid-century design, it is important not to overlook its lighting, says Charu. ‘That's our most typical way of bringing mid-century flair into a project,’ she says. ‘There’s a precision to lights designed during this time. But you can also bring in mid-century through less obvious ways like art or use of materials like chrome.’
For Danish-born, London-based interior designer Pernille Lind, mid-century design has always been rooted in her work. ‘What I take from it is joinery design. Other than the interior architectural details, the joinery gives a lot of very important identity to a house. Mid-century designers would have a red thread of a materiality that goes through the whole building. So a detail on a cupboard door for instance would be on all cupboard doors and wardrobes.’
Mid-century makers are renowned for their honesty in materials. Metals were celebrated for their strength and wood was left to show its natural grain. ‘Oak is a key material and that's what you would see in a lot of our projects, not painted wood,’ adds Pernille. ‘In my kitchen, I have vintage CH23 chairs by Hans Wegner. They have beautiful curved backs, woven seats and oak. It's a piece that will never go out of style.’ Like Pernille, Venetia prefers to buy original items when possible. ‘The age and patina of older pieces adds depth to a room and tells a story,’ she says. ‘Whereas when everything is immaculate, it feels like a hotel or showroom.’
While mid-century icons look set to be forever favourites, the design landscape is far from static. Many of today’s designers are creating pieces that look set to be future heirlooms. Faye Toogood’s ‘Roly Poly’ chair has a sculptural presence that characterises mid-century classics and despite only being launched in 2014, has already achieved iconic status. The best-selling ‘Vienna Carver’ chair by Tom Faulkner has notes from the 1950s and both Edward Collinson and Sebastian Cox emphasise natural materials, clean lines and craftsmanship, all which align with mid-century values.
Brands such as Galvin Brothers, & Tradition and Gubi have a similar ethos with pieces that sit with ease in diverse settings. Pinch, the furniture brand founded by Russell Pinch and his wife Oona Bannon, has several contenders for legendary status, most pointedly its banana plant fibre pendant ‘Anders’, already a cult fixture. For Charu, Invisible Collection also comes high on the list. ‘I also think that many pieces which Pierre Jovanovic is creating for his furniture line are future classics.’ And Lind + Almond, the studio led by Pernille and co-founder Richy Almond recently launched its furniture brand, Hyem, which takes its cues from the design era. ‘We have definitely created our pieces with craft and longevity in mind,’ says Pernille.
Ultimately mid-century will continue to inspire but as modern-day designers build on that legacy, the next generation of classics is, thankfully, already waiting in the wings.
