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The Mid-Century/Danish thread

This is one of my kitchen table H-M shell chairs from a set of (4). There used to be a local for sale book called "Want Ads". These were mis-listed in the tool section with a horrible description. Something like "old fiberglass chairs with metal legs", so I called. I got the chairs, a set of JBL S109 Aquarius in white, JBL L25 Primas in white, and an Ericofon in green from the same home. (Forum decorum prevents me from revealing the out the door price for the lot.)

:D

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This is a great thread! I'm a lover of mid century. I'm trying to make my entire house up with it since it was built in 51.

Here are two shots of the mid century living room, functional electronics included.
 

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Duffinator said:
soundmotor, that Eames will clean up nicely. Winter is almost here so get on it! :yes:
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I have to sell off (2) Scandanavian sling chairs & an ottoman to make room for it. They need some repairs and what I am working on now. When they are out I'll start on the Eames.
 
jpdylon said:
This is a great thread! I'm a lover of mid century. I'm trying to make my entire house up with it since it was built in 51.

Here are two shots of the mid century living room, functional electronics included.
Click to expand...

Love the GE fan. I have a couple of vintage Emersons and others of various ages.
 
Aage said:
In these collections, do the 1960s count as mid-century, then?
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The term "Mid-Century Modern" encompasses a lot of design elements from many decades. Mies Van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair, for example, dates from the late '20s or early '30s I think, and is often seen in Mid Century themed decor, though it's not really 'mid century' in origin. Does anybody know when the term came to be?

I have a mid century modern 'theme' going on, but it includes dome new design, too, as well as items from the '50s, '60s and '70s.
 
JohnVF said:
The term "Mid-Century Modern" encompasses a lot of design elements from many decades. Mies Van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair, for example, dates from the late '20s or early '30s I think, and is often seen in Mid Century themed decor, though it's not really 'mid century' in origin. Does anybody know when the term came to be?

I have a mid century modern 'theme' going on, but it includes dome new design, too, as well as items from the '50s, '60s and '70s.
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Mid Century Modern, as the name implies, generally, although not exclusively, means the years 1945 to 1965. Some people say WWII to JFK. Of course, all definitions are subjective.

With regards to the Barcelona Chair, my guess- and that's all it is- is that it does not fit in with the modern styles of its time, namely Art Deco, Streamline Modern, Bauhaus, etc. So it gets thrown in with MCM simply because it fits in better with that style. The Butterfly Chair is another example. Looks very 50s/60s, but it had been designed decades earlier.

I suppose the Barcelona Chair was ahead of its time and influenced the designers of the 50s and 60s much as Frank Lloyd Wright influenced the architects of that MCM era. Isn't Mies the one who said, "Less is more" one of the edicts of MCM?
 
Jack Lord said:
Mid Century Modern, as the name implies, generally, although not exclusively, means the years 1945 to 1965. Some people say WWII to JFK. Of course, all definitions are subjective.
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One place I've found where that varies wildly is in console hi-fi design. It seems that the stereo manufacturers (with a few exceptions like some Fishers), didn't catch up to design trends until around 1965. The best looking "mid-century" consoles I've seen have all had solid-state electronics.
 
Sam Cogley said:
One place I've found where that varies wildly is in console hi-fi design. It seems that the stereo manufacturers (with a few exceptions like some Fishers), didn't catch up to design trends until around 1965. The best looking "mid-century" consoles I've seen have all had solid-state electronics.
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My family's console growing up was loaded with Dynaco tube equipment, but in a horrible neo-classical design that sort of fit in with my mother's equally weird 1970's "Spanish Revival" theme, complete with busts of Conquistadors and Spanish Galleons hanging on the wall, and spinach-green shag carpet, and a naked greek goddess statue that I was always fascinated by. It was about as '70s as you could get, except for the tube gear.

And she went right from that to Country-Craft. Crazy.
 
Sam Cogley said:
One place I've found where that varies wildly is in console hi-fi design. It seems that the stereo manufacturers (with a few exceptions like some Fishers), didn't catch up to design trends until around 1965. The best looking "mid-century" consoles I've seen have all had solid-state electronics.
Click to expand...

Magnavox did some tube consoles with Danish Modern designs.
 
JohnVF said:
My family's console growing up was loaded with Dynaco tube equipment, but in a horrible neo-classical design that sort of fit in with my mother's equally weird 1970's "Spanish Revival" theme, complete with busts of Conquistadors and Spanish Galleons hanging on the wall, and spinach-green shag carpet, and a naked greek goddess statue that I was always fascinated by. It was about as '70s as you could get, except for the tube gear.

And she went right from that to Country-Craft. Crazy.
Click to expand...
:lmao:

Back in the 60's, our family vacation cabin was decorated by my wife's grandmother in a "lighthouse" theme, complete with fishing nets, lobster traps, nautical maps and whales.

It's in Wisconsin...
 
JohnVF said:
My family's console growing up was loaded with Dynaco tube equipment, but in a horrible neo-classical design that sort of fit in with my mother's equally weird 1970's "Spanish Revival" theme, complete with busts of Conquistadors and Spanish Galleons hanging on the wall, and spinach-green shag carpet, and a naked greek goddess statue that I was always fascinated by. It was about as '70s as you could get, except for the tube gear.

And she went right from that to Country-Craft. Crazy.
Click to expand...

You may remember that I mentioned some old bedroom furniture and a couch I used to have with fake carved wood trim? They were in that 70's "Spanish Revival" style. It was odd, to say the least.
 
Redboy said:
:lmao:

Back in the 60's, our family vacation cabin was decorated by my wife's grandmother in a "lighthouse" theme, complete with fishing nets, lobster traps, nautical maps and whales.

It's in Wisconsin...
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Haha...I'd probaby like that. I used to be able to see the Pacific from my living room.

My sister moved into a house 3 years ago with a beach theme, with an ocean mural and starfish glued to the wall...and it's in Akron, Ohio. I guess the previous owners were longing to be anywhere but Ohio. When my mother made fun of it, I reminded her of the Spanish Revival days.
 
Jack Lord said:
With regards to the Barcelona Chair, my guess- and that's all it is- is that it does not fit in with the modern styles of its time, namely Art Deco, Streamline Modern, Bauhaus, etc.
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I'm glad you qualified that statement.

;)

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe not only designed the Barcelona chair, he was a director at the Bauhaus school.

It completely fit in with other metal frame works designed there.
 
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