Mid-century Modern

It will if you do it like that, OP.

It's just classic American furniture at this point.

It goes away and is replaced with what?

So it's not your taste, OP. Deal with it.

Yes, please, bring back the '80s. So much more tasteful.

It’s not a fad, moron OP. It’s an era, a movement. If you don’t like it, how about shabby chic? Now THAT was a fad.

You'll love it at (1970s) Levitz!

R5 Pardon?

You have bad taste, OP.

LOL, R4! My mother still has the couches she bought in 1986, and they were in that similar vomilicious pastel style in the photo. In the early 90s, I made a beeline for the local Caldor's and covered them up in floral slipcovers.

It will. Already seeing more “natural” materials and classic furniture design popping up in design mags. The pure MCM style is fading. It went well with the sleek streamlined modern look of the sights but now designers are going for more classic, handmade, “authentic” pieces.

All of you praising MCM - please note that it is currently the design fad and has been for some time. So that original Eames chair with matching ottoman you spent most of 2004 hunting for is "the fad" and anyone who sees it won't think "oh they thought it was cool before it was cool again" they will think "another tired MCM-decorated abode - what a follower!"

I love 50's modern. I think it will always be relevant if done properly

Worked for us.

Eames furniture is a classic, not a fad. Hell, it was used on the Frasier apartment set back in the 90s.

I love mid-century modern--the classiest period in American culture

Mid-century modern: making LA denizens feel chic since 2000. Yawn.

Eames is classic. But CURRENTLY, remakes of it and adjacent furniture is the fad. So most people won't see your Eames chair that you spent a fortune for and think "classique!" they will see it and think "fading design aesthetic". At least until it's no longer a fad and has passed from that unfashionable former-fad spot to the forgotten/classic again spot.

Mid-Century Modern will never go out of style. It's classic. The furniture from that period and style was well made. As for the furniture pictured by R4 from the 80s. That's crap...all pressed wood. But in R6, I like that pattern in the couch. Those end tables used as a coffee table are nice. And as for the easy chair, just reupholster it. And if that's a real brick fireplace, I'd keep it. Maybe change the screen. I'd keep the oil painting. It's kitschy.

You really love the word, "fad", OP. Why don't you use it some more in your posts?

^ disgruntled Lesbian

MCM is a classic, but I cringe whenever I go to someone's home and it looks like a set from that era -- everything is MCM and it's just too much.

I don't give a shit what anyone thinks about my Eames chairs to be honest.

Yes it’s a fad. All design is a fad because things come in and out of style. Beautiful French provincial furniture comes in and out of style - it’s a fad. Well made Stickley furniture, Shaker furniture, European antique furniture - all have been in and out of style. So yes, MCM will become less popular and those Eames chairs will be worth less at some point. Not zero - but less.

I've always liked it, OP. At least since the 1970s, when I started buying furniture on my own. It was hard to find without a decorator then. I'm glad it's so much more readily available now.

It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad.

It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad.

It's a fad.

It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad.

It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad.

Did I neglect to mention that It's a fad? Yeah, It's a fad.

Don't be such a fad, OP.

r25 is such a faddot.

Could OP's photo be more obviously shopped? Oh never mind. See r1.

Doesn't bother me. I inherited some pieces from my grandmother, so if the chairs are worth $10 or $10k I'm not selling them anyway. Furniture is a foolish investment.

R25 fingering xhirself furiously as xhe types that.

R30, keep your sexual fantasies to yourself.

I bought this Nakashima Style American of Martinsville Six-Drawer Chest at a garage sale. Solid mahogany. I love it and it goes with everything I have ..

Of course, r31, this is DL after all, the beacon of propriety.

I wouldn't call OP's setup photoshopped, R28; it's more staged, complete with the pile o' books and white shag rug.

R32, that's gorgeous, and the epitome of how MCM can be mixed in well both with antiques and more modern.

Books are so decorative, don't you think?

I was born in the '50's.

MCM goes great with trestle pattern rugs!

OMG R32 that's GORGEOUS! How much did you pay for it?

I pray one day I'll find a surprise at a yard sale, but I'm never that lucky. Last estate sale I went to was supposed to start at 9am, so I waited until then to go inside. They had some mint condition Brasilia pieces priced well below what they should be, but already had sold signs on them. I asked and they said someone came an hour before they opened and bought it all. FUCKERS!

I like the furniture in OP's pic. I don't think OP knows what a fad is. There's a difference between a fad and knock-offs.

I will say this some of the knock-offs you can buy online, Amazon and Overstock.com for example, are too small. Like maybe 80% to 90% of the original. If you're over six feet tall you may not be comfortable sitting on the couch or chair. Kind of like an airplane seat.

I'm doing the whole apartment over in Chinese Modern!

R41, it looks like a nightmare you'd get after eating too much Chinese food!

Gay Fad!

I love Mid Century Modern houses. True adherents of the design featured the "open concept," long before today's current crop of shitty "designers" (i.e. Joana Gaines) were even born. a concept they like to think they pioneered.

Country and European antiques were classic back in the 80s and 90s. Now, many good pieces are sitting and some things you can't give away. It was a trend then.. like MCM is today. I still like antiques and don't care if it's in style or not. In fact, the prices have dropped, making them more affordable.

My favorite song about open plan living and sex dolls.

r39 I paid $50 and when I realized what I had I went back and gave the sellers more - they looked like they needed it. They gave me funny looks but I just told them I was happy and thanks a lot ...

Yeah - I just got lucky !!

Very nice to look at but those low back sofa's are pretty uncomfortable

I live in an MCM U-shaped house around a courtyard and love it. Lots of glass, but privacy. Updated though, I'm not living in a museum.

I'd love to flip R6.

R32 looks like corrugated cardboard. Pass.

R2 - My grandparents have that couch in their cabin and have FOREVER. It's the most comfortable napping couch in the universe. Guaranteed.

^^Too bad it smells like mold and has mouse poop in all the cushions.

We love it too!

My mother still has R2's sofa and matching love seat in her "formal" living room. The den has one of those monster overstuffed vinyl sofa's with drink holders and places to store your chips. But I have to say, the shift stick that raises the footrest is handy.

Some of it is alright, but I prefer Art Deco.

r50 - you should be so lucky,. I'm sure you probably posted from a computer in the public library.

MCM is a set of principles more than a collection of furniture.

So the Eames variant is really one American execution of the principles that has become emblematic of both the era and the principles that define its furniture and design. The Eames vision was for every American in every house—maybe an Eichler or maybe something more upscale. George Nelson is another American adherent to these principles.

There are German variants, like the original Knoll collection. Here you see the transition from Bauhaus to a more pure modernism. It’s also expensive. You won’t find this furniture in the middle suburbs.

There are Danish variants as well. These are the most elegant pieces and truest in adherence to the modernist principles in my opinion. Many of them are as sharp today as they were when introduced. Before the internet and international design shops like Design Research, you needed to travel internationally to encounter Danish designs.

I didn’t even get started on the Italians...

To their credit, Italy did great mid century design, especially evident in their postwar passenger ships like the ANDREA DORIA and MICHELANGELO/RAFFAELLO twins. Lots of linoleum floors and chandeliers made from synthetic materials. Sharp angles on the furniture, but generous use of old world materials like velour and leather.

Regardless of the era, excellent design is timeless. It's the knockoffs that muddy up the waters. You have to have knowledge, and a good eye for the good stuff. You can mix different examples.. and somehow it works. It's more interesting.

I don't like the furniture that much. I, actually, have the tulip chairs and matching white table. I do appreciate some of the features of the homes, the mid-century modern architecture

R49, do you live in an Eichler home? Eichler homes are common in my hometown of Orange, California. They were all built in the 1960s and there are still 350 of them in Orange and they command big prices now. Most Eichler homes wrap around a center courtyard.

OP would be triggered immensely by Palm Springs

[R61] Where is orange county, CA, OP? Are there tours/museums?

It's in a mystical Republican land, r63, and home to Disney Land, which mirrors it.

anaheim, ca?

The fad for MCM homes will fade eventually too. Just like the fad for Victorians - now all painted gray and stripped of any Victoriana. Or nouveau-English dark wood and stone houses in the Northeast - now with all the panellling painted a light color.

I have an antique Eames lounge chair that I bought maybe 20 years ago on a whim. It's beautiful I suppose, but I can't say I really love it. Anyway, I'm thinking of a 1970s-vintage sofa for contrast. Surely no one will consider 1970s furniture to be a fad.

you better not say that in palm springs or you ll be lynched and run out of town

Some of it is nice, some of it is ugly-depressing.

Kirker is probably looking at those images and masturbating in remembrance of his failed overpriced mid century junk shop.

What a boring thread.

What a bore you are, OP.

^ says the person who took time out of his busy exciting life to tell us this

No, r72, I don't own any Eames. It just amuses me that an old bitch like you could get his panties in a twist over Eames. Talk about no life.

^ totally validates everything I just said

^Validates what, exactly, r74? I said I had no Eames nor do I have a dog in this boring fight. You, apparently, do. What exactly does a discerning lady like you enjoy, design wise? We're all ears.

r74 probably likes Shaker furniture to go with her Amish gowns.

Girls!Girls! you're all boring.

MCM lives today because nobody wants a cracking bonded leather couch from 1994.

r77, hunty, don't try to moderate.

r77, why don't you shove some Memphis furniture up your ass? I'm sure there's plenty of room.

Lol - that’s a good one R80. God I have always hated that shit. Even when they were trying to push it in the 80s. Like everything else for the 80s, it sucked. But Memphis furniture was the worst of it all. Ugh

When did blocky treated pine furniture become popular? It looks bad but at least it was robust.

Yep, OP is correct, its a FAD. I know that upsets a lot of Marys but most of you are no different then the old queens of the 70's who filled their places with antiques and walls of books thinking they were just the shit. MCM was cool about 15 years ago when it was just some gays in Palm Springs doing it but now its full on mainstream gay stereotype. Like Caftans and earnings, you are the only one who thinks you look good Dear.

I always find it funny when someone says their place in modern when in fact its really Mid-Century. They really don't have a clue about modern design at all. When I point out what they are calling modern was made almost 70 years ago, its like a deer in headlights.

You realize people that just like fashion there are designer in Milan coming up with new things every day. Its not all Lazy-Boy furniture like the U.S. Odd that it doesn't even cross their minds when they say "I love modern furniture".

MCM gay dear no dear straights love it too dear can't go into a furniture store without seeing MCM replicas sweetie. Straights love the shit.

Well yes, r85, gays did it first, but when the straights make it their own, you know its time to move on. Gays should be long past it by now but sadly, many are just as tragically holding on to the fad.

You would think no one has ever heard of Bohemian Modern on this site.

I looooathe the legs of MCM furniture.

Reminds me of being a kid in the 70's, at my grandparents' tacky place.

I agree with OP.

I love REAL mid 20th century design but the current trend is FAUX mid century shit all made in China.

It's beloved by Millennials because it's "clean" and cheap and reminds them of romping around IKEA as tots or life back in their dorm room at school.

I honestly think that one reason for the ongoing popularity of MCM is in reaction to the fat, bloated, puffy style that is so prevalent now.

R89, not everyone can afford or wants antiques, so I don't have any problem with new manufacture in "clean" MCM designs. It is still more tasteful than the typical style one sees, like in the picture.

Yeah, the thing at R90 is so depressing.

The thing at r90 is what you see in most realtor ads for houses in America. So fucking ugly.

The sofa in R90 is not ugly, we like to call it cozy. Its great for transitional decor when looking out the widow with a peekaboo view.

And yet one sees that sofa everywhere. It is the default style for McMansions. Fat puffy seating for fat puffy people.

I want that fat puffy McMansion sofa. My cat has destroyed my MCM hessian covered corner lounge, which wasn't particularly comfortable anyway.

That seems to be the rub, Mid Century for the most part is not very comfortable. McMansion puffy couch is like a bed you can fall asleep in. Style vs comfort.

I would not be comfortable in anything that un-stylish.

Its sort of like, do you want a really handsome stud who's boring in bed vs an ugly chub who will fuck the shit out of you.

r83, darling, a fad does not go on for over 50 years and spawn imitations of its originals. What's your style? What goes with the torture devices you have handy to enslave the young boys you pick up off the street?

Ugly chub if he has magic hands.

So much more tasteful. Much more the style of all the MCM haters.

^The definition of a furniture fad? Right up there.

"MCM was cool about 15 years ago when it was just some gays in Palm Springs doing it..." r83 thinks MCM started 15 years ago with "some gays in Palm Springs"? Oh, my sides!

"Like Caftans and earnings, you are the only one who thinks you look good Dear."

Wouldn't r83's fat rolls look lovely splayed on this?

A bit of Aussie MCM lovin'................

If it's seen as "making a comeback" years ago (but never really did, as above)--that's a fad. If it's been around for decades (Arts & Crafts, MCM) and spawns imitators, it's classic. Whether you like it or not.

[quote]Yep, OP is correct, its a FAD.

It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad!

It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad.

It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad! It's a fad. It's a fad. It's a fad, fad, fad!

Good work, r106! Here's a rubber ball. Perhaps you can bounce it?

I love (most) MCM buildings/homes. And I do love some MCM furniture, but more often than not the furniture simply looks like cheaply built Swedish modern crap. The sort of cheap junk you'd buy at IKEA.

R99 the current revival of MCM inspired pieces is a fad. Amazon released a new line of furniture (all made in China) that is MCM inspired. They have that line and they have a transitional/industrial line. When Amazon is following the trend, it's a fad.

It doesn't mean all MCM design is a fad. Just the current revival of it.

Preben Fabricius Grasshopper chair or bust!

[quote][R99] the current revival of MCM inspired pieces is a fad.

Fad, fad, fad, fad! Fad, fad, fad, fad!

Lovely FAD! Wonderful FAD! Lovely FAD! Wonderful FAD!

P.S. Just going to keep making fun of everyone who uses that term, since it's obvious they don't know what a "fad" is.

And r111 has earned his ignore. Have fun with your pointless spam!

R112, of course you've put me on ignore. Just makes it easier for you to keep trolling with this "fad" nonsense.

Keep in mind that I'm not posting this for the benefit of the baby at R112 (who won't be seeing this, anyway). The OP wasn't trying to initiate any interesting discussion about his dislike for MCM. All he kept doing was posting a variation of "MCM is a fad." If you have a valid, well thought out criticism about something, that's fine but stop wasting everyone's time if all you're going to say in response is, "It's a fad." Now THAT is *pointless spam,* regardless of how much you pad your complaint out.

And like R5 said, MCM has never been a fad. It was an art and design movement that emerged after WW2 and lasted well into the mid-1960s. A style that lasted for almost 20 years can't be said to be a "fad." Like so many people have pointed out, it's just a style now, and if people are decorating their houses with, it's not that they're doing it as part of a fad. They're choosing it as a style, just as others might choose to decorate their house in country English style or French baroque or whatever.

Even if MCM was a fad, it's not even a valid criticism. Not all fads were cheesy things like the Pet Rock or hula hoop. A lot of beautiful and stylish design movements were also fads. Art Nouveau was a fad. Streamline was a fad. Populuxe and Space Age design were fads. Mod literally lasted all of what, six years. So, you calling MCM a fad to imply that it's something more in the vein of the Pet Rock just exposes you as both a snob and an ignoramus.

You seem Very Concerned, r113!

Well said R113.

Do they make Mid-Century Modern fainting couches?

A most Mid-century musical number......

mid-century trip

You know how bitchy fads can be.

I'm thrilled that MCM and Googie architecture is being preserved, at least here in SoCal. I go to a Christmas party every year at a house in Trousdale that is right out of The Party. Indoor and outdoor streams, just so much fun. Better than any boring beige box.

To each their own- if you don't like MCM furniture or housing style, don't buy it.

I'll buy it AND burn it, in front of you, r120! And judge you if I see it in your house. I won't say anything, but YOU'LL know I disapprove.

Enthusiasm for Mid-century modern is very much about being against the thing at R90.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

R121, I've forgotten more than you know about furniture and architecture.

I don't think the 'artwork' in OP's pic is mid-century. You see these types of print everywhere, including in variations of red, to attract moneyed Chinese house buyers.

[quote]I go to a Christmas party every year at a house in Trousdale that is right out of The Party.

"The Party"?

I'm assuming he was referring to this movie.

Yes, The Party with Peter Sellers and Corrine Cole as the drunk socialite. Sorry I left out the quotation marks.

R124 = Joanna Gaines

How 'bout we grind up some dolls and hoover them up off the Noguchi table?

[quote]Yes, The Party with Peter Sellers and Corrine Cole as the drunk socialite.

And the cwazy Fwench psycho with her annoying Tweety Bird speech impediment being passed off as oh, so cwute and adowable.

She sang a beautiful Henwy Mancini number, "Nutting to Wooz."

Sounds like a fad!

R129, you think Joanna Gained knows who Pierre Koenig is or what the Case Study houses are? I doubt it.

R133 = Lord Verustratus du Pont

Mid-century kitchen designs made for easy clean-up.....

r131 Triggered (literally.)

Some people like period styles, or decorating with things from a bygone era to create a mood and evoke feelings of a unique place. I love fifties kitchens, GE metal cabinets, vintage appliances, etc. It gives one the feeling of being transported back in time. That being said, I don't care for much of the furniture, or fifties loos though. I'm glad people preserve time capsule homes and rooms. They are fun to visit, even if one doesn't choose to live that way today. It is sad so many flippers gut so many perfectly preserved mid-century homes, and replace everything with soulless crap from big box stores. I think people who like history appreciate all vintage styles. If it weren't for all these devotees of the mid-century furniture styles, more of these old homes would meet the wrecking ball and backhoe.

Mid-century modern was the end of craftsmanship and the beginning of designer oriented products. They were made from extruded and cast materials and factory assembled, generally.

It’s a shame but every mid century house used garish pink and aqua tiles in the bathrooms. As much as I like preserving original intact elements, I just can not live with those colors. It seems almost every house form 1935-1975 used those obnoxious colors. And they are a pain in the ass to rip out because they were meshed in steel wire in most cases.

The "furniture" (if you can call it that) at R101 looks straight out of The Flintstones.

Mid century modern is a classic style - it is in fad right now but never really goes out - unlike most trend styles.

R141 agreed, it's replacing Industrial as one of the current fads.

Do you like Moby's mid-century stunner?

R101 oh god please.

Not Memphis again.

Makes you appreciate midcentury modern, doesn't it, r144?

I hate the stuff, but I had a potential goldmine that I just pissed away 3 years ago. My parents had the contents of our 1955 cottage in the basement of their house until they died. I called Salvation Army and begged them to come and pick it up,

I had no idea the style was in such demand until about 6 months ago.

You probably lost a potential billion dollars, r146.

Nobody ever seems to address the problem with the upholstery in MCM style. It almost always has low backs and shallow seat depths. If you are over 6 feet tall, it's just not comfortable (at least not to me). I had a hard time buying a sofa that had a high back because everyone is moving toward this style or just toward lower backs in general (even non-MCM vendors). And seats are getting less deep.

Also, MCM prefers to use tight tailoring and firmer foam than a more relaxed looking sofa that might have down or more forgiving tailoring (a bit messier looking but more comfortable, especially over time). The major North Carolina vendors still build most of their furniture in a more traditional style, but they all have a few lines of upholstery with MCM dimensions now. I've never felt like they were sofas I could just sit in & watch netflix for a few hours without getting a back ache. But I grew up on those big puffy 80s sofas, so there's maybe an acclimation element aside from just being tall.

The MCM case goods are often classic looking & those can survive for decades. I am just not crazy about the upholstery.

A gay friend of my ex had his whole (mid-century) house done in mid-century. He even had some old TV's rigged-up to play video/DVD of 50's TV shows. He was obsessed and spent a lot of time on Ebay, etc . looking for more crap. His partner was pissed and talked about him behind his back.

I lost touch with them but social media tells me they divorced and went their separate ways. Husband got the house and I'm sure he re-did the whole thing.

R148 comfort is only for the vulgar.

^ lol got me there.

R150 if we wanted to be uncomfortable I'm sure we would all be wearing men's corsets.

R149, how fortunate that you lost 2 friends over their furniture and style.

It's a little odd when the entire house is MCM (or any other style for that matter) instead of just having it be the majority.

I've always wondered about the pink and blue (and sometimes yellow) tile bathroom thing too--why that was so common.

And like pedestal sinks, those MCM sinks look cool, but don't give you any storage options.

"how fortunate that you lost 2 friends over their furniture and style."

They were my ex's friends and when we split-up there was no reason to associate with them anymore. They were shallow, shady and flaky (and I believe they were behind the death of the one's business partner, but of course I can't prove it).

Yes, I feel fortunate.

You realize we must travel through the valley of Tennessee Pine before getting to anything new, don't you?

All it takes is one asshole pinning baby's breathe to his front door and we're all fucked.

R155, now they are murderers as well as committing style (in your cataract ridden eyes) errors? Triple Mary, you tired cunt.

Damn R157,arent you being a tad harsh ?

OP is right, it’s reached saturation point. It DOESN’T work with every house. It looks ridiculous mass made and thrown randomly into any interior.

I prefer a soft classical sort of design. I like a few MCM accents, but it can definitely become too much. I typically need at least one piece of dark-ish, heavy wooden furniture in a room to ground it.

I agree with OP. It IS a fad, because it will become passé. It references another bygone era. If it was timeless it would never have been replaced in the first place. Yes, it’s wonderful and possibly more versatile than other era’s furniture. It’s like fashion. 90’s clothes are back in Vogue now, they’re lovely, but ultimately we will get bored and pick something else. MCM is not just timeless clean lines and geometric forms. It looks like the 50’s/60s.

Thats a gorgeous room R160,but it screams for a little color.

Bump

There is a new Bump Bitch. Or at least a newly-recognized, non-Defacto one. He's the douche who's always going on about "dude" and "goals" and "bruh," his vocabulary seldom reaching words of more than one syllable. He also started the Christian McCaffrey thread, where he excoriated another poster for being "blasphemous." I'm surprised he's posting on DL rather than being at mass.

I'm no friend of Defacto, but he can't be blamed for 100% of the Bump Bitchery, I have realized for a couple of days now.

I love most MCM architecture, but the furniture is a different story. I find most of it very cheap looking and not sturdy. I've found some MCM cabinetry that I like but I don't think I've ever found any type of MCM chair or sofa that I would want in my home. The seated pieces all look like cheap pieces you used to see in public waiting rooms.

Beyond cliches like the Eames chairs, MCM is really about simple, well executed designs. It may becoem less popular but it won't go away anymore than any other "dated" style you can find in a good furniture store. That pastel stuff from the 80s often wound up in a living room that was never used because it simply wasn't practical.

how much does a vintage Eames chair cost.

Spill, bitches. I’m working class and we have no couth so we openly discuss the prices of things, which don’t have to be one of life’s great mysteries.

Could someone recommend a nice, modern, clean line dining room table? I want one in charcoal or Mocha. Think Crate and Barrel or Room and Board.

I have some MCM mixed with antiques. My house is a fifties split level, and the style goes with the house. I hate the puffy, bloated furniture that looks like dulaps of belly fat. That stuff is designed for huge new houses with great rooms. Or a trailer home—and that’s the only thing in it, along with overflowing ashtrays and a TV.