Who are the great designers of the 21st Century?  

Agree tick and I have conside...
Agree tick and I have considered this many times.
I love contemporary design but I consistently get drawn into vintage pieces although I do have both.
My reason can waiver but generally it's a mix of many;
It has a life story whether real or imagined.
Patina
Authenticity
Nostalgia
Trend
Quality of materials and build.
Importance from a design or era angle.
Scarcity
Great design that simply moves me.
Affordability
Letting pieces live on.
Contemporary for me depends on the piece but I am particular.I have no interest in basic pieces like a side table with simple powder coated metal base and a glass top that offers nothing new except a new design for designs sake.I guess it's all aimed at a conservative market these days.
The Tufty-time is obviously a rehash of the Camaleonda and I am not impressed as this is all too common with current designers.I do know that this has gone on since the dawn of time as every post war Aussie piece can be clearly seen in US or British models that came before them.No internet so who would know.
With the Tufty I would not buy one.They do not wear well as the fabric stretches and starts to look creasy but not in a nice way.
Camaleonda had no such issue and is still a killer piece.
I guess what I have noticed is that 90% of contemporary design today really offers nothing new and the materials seem cheaper or the perception of.There is rarely a piece launched that I have not seen something similar before or it's just plain boring or uninspiring.
I do think it must be hard to continually design new ranges that impress but that's the biz their in I guess.
ps: Looking for anything Tick?

Hi tick
"Why do most of us prefer mid century design to contemporary design?"
There is a simple answer to your question:
Current "contemporary design" is basing on "mid-century modern design", we are still in the period of "post modern".
So to put it crudely: why spoiling interiors with post modern scrap, if the originals are better and still available.

Bouroullec Brothers
I find the work of Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec really interesting and innovative. Too expensive for me though.
There is an interesting exhibition about them in Paris right now.
http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/francais/arts-decoratifs/expositions-23/...

Caught in a wave of post-war emotion.
Interesting views and many thanks to the people who posted their comments. I don't think that all new design is a sad pastiche of modernism.
Zaha Hadid's sinuous über modern interpretation of art nouveau reminds me of when a singer covers a song and transforms it into something fresh and original. it's not my cup of tea, but I certainly admire her vision.
The global trend towards MCM is fascinating, and even more so when I think back 20 years to my friends and I furnishing our run down rental properties with thrift shop finds that would now be considered expensive designer classics.
Beyond the 'must have' status and the exclusivity, before the coffee table books and the simulacra designer fakes, these post-war pieces seemed so honest and humble to me. I guess they were the design objects that time forgot, and going to a thrift shop was like embarking on a archeological dig where one might find a treasure from a lost civilization. A chair made of ply offcuts from a war plane or a stool made of steel rod and coloured string.
Whether it be nostalgia, a longing for the craft traditions of the era or simply the modernist aesthetic. I think it's hard to disconnect these mid century designs from their time. Quality cost back then, and probably costs even more now. My parents saved to buy a quality sofa, good design was never really cheap for the working classes. For me, I feel lucky to be fortunate enough to trip between time as I look at the post-war design artifacts in my apartment and say a big thank you to those great designers who dared to be different (this is where I smile and look into the distance).
P.S. Starlight, thanks for the offer. If you come across any Meadmore lamps please let me know.
Cheers,
Tick.