Contents

the essence of modern

model houses, modern dreams

Prosperity after World War II unleashed a new way of looking at the home in the United States and Europe. Open spaces and lightweight furnishings gained popularity as symbols of newfound optimism and energy. With the birth of the suburbs, the midcentury modern style spread from custom-built houses to ordinary homes.

the midcentury look

Starting with the outside of a house and moving to its furnishings and finishes, even down to the dinner-table settings, designers of the 1940s and 1950s worked to create a seamless look that melded together the indoors and the outdoors.

flowing spaces, casual living

transparent barriers

malleable materials, mass produced

furniture of many uses

textures nubby and plain

cheering colors and bold patterns

curvaceous organic shapes

sculptural accessories

midcentury modern at home

From the earliest classics that crew out of European modernism to the successors that revolutionized mainstream living, two dozen home and design collections epitomized the spirited midcentury look.

modern to the core: classic houses

The modern movement's European leaders brought their ideas to America, where new influences awaited. Their houses reflect the streamlined elegance that inspired a younger generation to embrace modernism and push it in new directions.

throwing a curve

Albert Frey * Palm Springs, California * 1946

machine in the garden

Richard Neutra * Palm Springs, California * 1946

less is more

Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe * Plano, Illinois * 1951

bauhaus, american style

Marcel Mreuer * Croton-on-Hudson, New York * 1953

modern monticello

Eero Saarinen * Columbus Indiana * 1957

urban sanctuary

José Luis Sert * Cambridge Massachusetts * 1958

time-honored values

Jens Risom interiors * New Canaan, Connecticut, and Block Island, Rhode Island * 1950s and 1967

mainstream modern: affordable style

Modernism was disseminated into mainstream America through affordable houses filled with mass-produced furniture. Architect-designed homes and speculative suburban developments from the 1940s and 1950s illustrate the freedom and invention that revolutionized postwar living.

missionary living

Case-study houses nos. 9, 16, and 22 by Charles Eames and Eer Saarinen, Craig Ellwood, and Pierre Koenig * Los Angeles * 1945-59

symphony in steel

Charles and Ray Eames * Pacific Palisades, California * 1949

suburban frontier

Eugene Sternberg and Joseph Dion * Englewood, Colorado * 1949-57

into the woods

Charles Goodman * Alexandria, Virginia * 1949-60s

umbrella in the sun

Paul Rudolph * Sarasota, Florida * 1953

western pioneers

Jones and Emmons * San Mateo, California * 1956

passion for plastic

Ralph Wilson Sr. and Bonnie McIninish * Temple, Texas * 1959

back to the future: living with midcentury modern

Midcentury modernism is back, as collectors rediscover the simple allure of postwar plywood and plastic from America and wood and glass from Europe. Housed in period settings as well as in unexpected environments, these collections testify to the enduring value of midcentury deisgn.

the art of reduction

Clarence Mayhew * Oakland, California * 1960

minimalist temple

Richard Neutra * San Diego, California * 1960

calming effect

Richard Neutra * Glendale, California * 1961

industrial evolution

John Lawrence * New Orleans, Louisiana * 1958

beginner's luck

Julian Berla and Joseph Abe * Washington, D. C. * 1941

modernist summit

Shelton, Midel and Associates * New York City * 1997

city deco, country classic

Heiner M. Kromer * Southampton, New York * 1982

nordic harmony

Philip Truchaud * Washington, D. C. * 1955

midcentury maverick

Mark McDonald interior * New York City * 1992

modern necessities

catalogue

resources

midcentury designers

further reading

index