Mid-Century Modern Designers
Celebrating the seductive lines of classic designs, Dominic Bradbury’s coffee table book Mid-Century Modern Designers is sure to please aesthetes and home decorators alike.
Their palettes “colorful and joyful” and their designs “taking inspiration from both nature and geometry,” mid-century designs remain favorites among contemporary stylists, Bradbury notes. Indeed, their modern, futuristic edges still feel fresh and bold. Running through the period’s designers alphabetically, the book recalls Finnish designer Eero Aarnio, whose Bubble Chair is evocative of Hollywood sets; Harry Bertoia, whose steel mesh chairs are called “instantly recognizable”; the multidisciplinary, sought-after work of Charles and Ray Eames; Belle Kogan and her bold ceramics; and Mona Morales-Schildt and her memorable work with Kosta glass. The bright photographs of the designers’ representative pieces ensure that readers’ attention will hold all the way through to Riki Watanabe’s Rope Chair and East-meets-West pieces and Eva Zeisel’s bold, organic ceramics.
Scandinavian, Italian, and American pieces loom large in this book, though the overall perspective is global. Furniture plays a starring role, but glass, plastic, and fiber art are also represented in sideboard pieces, textiles, and housewares. Indeed, the book’s encyclopedic coverage of the era means there’s a design here to please every eye and need, from pieces with clean lines to those with popping patterns and sculptural flair.
Celebrating “the expressive, considered, and inventive character of … postwar portfolios,” Mid-Century Modern Designers is a lush, exciting coffee table book.
Reviewed by
Michelle Anne Schingler
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
