All of you are so knowledgeable on Mid-Century Design. Even though I have a Degree in Art Design and work in the arts, I know nothing about what is what in the furniture design world. I am a child of the 50's, grew up with Haywood Wakefield in the Living Room and Dining Room and Danish Modern in the "rec room" - the former still sits in my original home that my sib lives in and he could care less (along with lots of other mid stuff down the basement that I beg him not to throw away - I just like it all!)
After years of floundering with my own style likes, I have begun to bring my place to life with the New Italian Contemporary glass furniture styles, Saarinen, Poul Henninsen, Eileen Gray, Noguchi (a cool hand-made one with a thick glass top I picked up at a tag sale in '73 - didn't know what it was & never went with anything in my home then but loved it and never let it go!). I am starting to realize that much of these pieces were of the higher level in affordability and would probably never have found themselves in my parents home. I do remember that most of my friends parents had "real wood", well made furniture and kept it forever as there weren't the cheap discount furniture stores as we have now. You only bought furniture for your home when you could save up the money - otherwise your home was empty!
My only reference to mid styles, designers and years is from my DWR catalogs that I collect and what I have seen in museums. I tag sale and rarely find things of interest. Our Flea Markets are expensive as they draw savvy buyers from NY & NJ (I live in CT and we are steeped with very expensive antiques or people decorate in the "New England Style". I finally found a great Mid store that I was in love with, the Yellow Barn, but after many years in business they closed their doors - Our Loss! My local Good Will has recently been packed with particle board wonders a la Caldors, Bradlees and Walmart - real junk.
How do I learn what I should look for and figure out if it is real or a junk recent copy? I realize that many of you have years of experience. I must say though that it took me a short time to learn how to spot a real tulip Saarinen table and chairs and my husband, who has lived with our set for a while just doesn't understand what the difference is. He's a Ford Pinto kind of Guy - Love Him!!!!! There must be some design Bibles that you all have on your bookshelves, swear by and would NEVER give up.
~L
I would say
you need go no further than this forum. Anything you could possibly think of is archived here. Type in that which interests you in the search box and read the threads. There is a wealth of info. Alternatively, if you like the point of view a particular poster takes on a subject, type their name in the search box and all of their posts will be revealed.
Good luck, being originally from Connecticut myself, the "New England" Currier and Ives look is fairly predominate.
~L....here's my suggestions
Start buying up some good books on Mid-Century Modern. Here's a few that have showed me who's who and what's what:
LANDMARKS OF TWENTIETH-CENTURY DESIGN
--Kathyrn B. Hiesinger and George H. Marcus
FIFTIES FURNITURE
--Leslie Pina
1000 CHAIRS
--Charlotte & Peter Fiell
KNOLL - HOME & OFFICE FURNITURE
--Nancy Schiffer
CLASSIC HERMAN MILLER
--Leslie Pina
MID-CENTURY MODERN
--Bradley Quinn
MILLER'S AMERICAN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO TWENTIETH-CENTURY FURNITURE
--John Sollo
SOURCEBOOK OF MODERN FURNITURE
Jeryll Habegger & Joseph H. Osman
1000 LIGHTS & 1000 LIGHTS, vol. 2
--Charlotte & Peter Fell
MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
--Klaus-Jurgen Sembach
These books ain't cheap, but they have been exceedingly helpful.
I also have the Herman Miller catalog reprints, the Paul McCobb Directional book, and others.
Those above are an excellent starting point.
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more important than the books is to trust your instincts and learn what makes quality in the first place. Learn about timber, joinery and upholstery techniques, what it is that makes a piece more labour intensive... the clarity of glass, the tidiness of welds, the smoothness of a bearing as a chair turns... all those sorts of things.
Thanks so much!!!
The book list is great and I plan to check around for some of them, starting on e-bay. My house if filled with so many great art books but nothing on furniture. I am thinking perhaps another bookshelf is in order......something in a classic modern style.....Hmmmmm..... Thank you all, ~L
There's a lot more available...
There's a lot more available than there used to be, especially monographs of the better known designers. Some of the books which show mid-century furniture in contemporary settings are worth looking out for too - Design for Modern Living (Gerd Hatje 1962) is excellent and fairly easy to find. Mid Century Modern (1984) by Cara Greenberg probably switched on more early collectors to the subject than any other book. When you've got the general books the fun really starts - when you just have to have full sets of New Furniture (11 of these alone between 1952 & 1971 (?), a cheap single copy about $100+), Furniture Forum, The Studio Yearbook of Decorative Art etc you've definitely got the bug.
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