Mid Century Mike

What's the difference between modern and mid-century modern? Both are design movements that shaped the 20th century. Both are minimalist, w And they're named almost the exact same t Is there any difference at all? My research on Ba What does it truly mean to be modern? And is the definition changing? I did an art As always, t I am sure t In a nutshell, mid-century modern is just one type of modern design. But modern and mid-century modern do have some key differences. Modern typically refers to sleek minimalist designs from the 1920s through the 1980s. It uses straight lines, neutral colors, and raw materials. It started in Europe, specifically Germany and Switzerland, but it spread all around the world. Mid-century modern is Mid-century modern ruled the 1950s and 1960s. Mid-century modern uses curved shapes and pops of color. Plastic is a key material in mid-century modern design. Some of the most exciting examples of mid-century modern are in North America and Brazil. Let's take a closer look at modern design. Yes, the Hoover constellation floats. It doesn't just snide. There. What makes somet Is everyt Art Deco was once considered modern. And is the definition of modern design different today than it was in the 20th century? The word modern can mean relating to a recently developed or advanced style, technique, or technology. Technology advanced rapidly after World War II. So in the design world, the word modern still refers to design from that era. We use the word contemporary to describe design that is happening in the now. Interior designer Natalie Meyers says, Modernism was the future in the early mid-century. It harnessed the capability of mac The birthplace of modern design is the Ba The Ba It did this revolutionary trend influenced movements In America, technology and the baby boom led Americans to spread out into the American Southwest, w The flat roofs and natural light of modern housing design are perfect for the desert. Let's look at some examples of modern design. Every time I see t Frank Lloyd Wright'stunning Fallingwater House in Pennsylvania combines modern design with a deep reverence for nature. Frank Lloyd Wright is probably America's most famous arc Although he's been dead for over 60 years, many of Frank Lloyd Wright designed the house is suspended over a waterfall by a cantilever. T It has three stories, outdoor terraces, and some built-in furniture. W The house is made of reinforced concrete, glass, and local rocks. Fallingwater has an unmistakable integration with nature. However, the roof leaks a lot and the terraces sag over time under the weight of snow and rain. The structure flooded in 1956, w It seems The modern house is much better suited to a drier climate, T It was taken by Slim errands at the Kaufman Desert House in Palm Springs, California. T It was built by Richard Neutra. The house spreads out Two story buildings were actually banned in Palm Springs at the time, so the second story of the Kaufman Desert House is technically somet A Gloriate is a sleeping porch. Before air conditioning, people would sleep up there. The vertical slats create shade without cutting out the great outdoors. The home was retrofitted for air conditioning in 1962. The design is open, rectangular, and breathtaking. It's regularly named one of the best modern houses of all time and was recently used as a set in the film Don't Worry, Darling. The Kaufman Desert House is still going strong. Brazilian arc T She built it for herself and actually lived there for 40 years. Casa de Vu00eddero means house of glass in Portuguese and the structure is predominantly glass. With metal and concrete supports. Transparency is a theme both inside and outside the house. Inside the house we see open bookshelves, floating staircases, and lots of open space. The Casa overlooks the Atlantic rainforest in the Mor Lino Bobardi and her husband Pietro considered themselves socialists, and they hosted many Brazilian scholars, t As a result, t I today the house is the headquarters of the Bar de Institut and you can visit it in Su00e3o Paulo, Brazil. Modern arc But by the early 1960s, the modern home was filled with technology and the space race was on. Modern design didn't just have to be modern, it had to be futuristic. Technology and futurism were both big influences on mid-century modern design. The space race dramatically changed the 20th century and the United States money poured into education to make American students smart enough to build a rocket. And what would we find once we got to space? Designers went about creating some of the wackiest the modern era also gave us a material that would change our lives, plastic. Plastics had technically been around since 1907 when a Belgian chemist wanted a replacement for ivory. But after the United States won World War II, an unprecedented access to oil made plastic in the US explode. Plastic is lightweight and Everyt Polyester, Formica, vinyl, and plastic made wonky shapes Diners are a really great place to see examples of mid-century modern design. But in Brazil, there was a mid-century modern revolution happening completely without plastics. The never before seen shapes of mid-century modern truly transcended their materials. You might also hear mid-century modern design referred to as Guggy, Kitsch, Mod, or Bacanova. Let's watch as mid-century modern quite literally takes over the planet. Have you seen t You probably have. Why give a chair four legs when it could only have one? The Finnish-American designer Eero Saranen hated furniture legs. Eero was quoted saying, the undercarriage of chairs and tables in a typical interior makes an ugly, confusing, unarrestful world. I wanted to clear up the sl I wanted to make the chair all one t Eero's one-piece, one-material p That's because the materials available The chair would usually fall over or break once somebody sat in it. But Saranen eventually figured it out by using plastic. And when Saranen designed the iconic TWA Hotel and Terminal, he filled the space with tulip chairs. The TWA Hotel and Terminal is itself a glorious example of mid-century modern design. The swooping shapes, abundant light, and pops of orange make me the tulip chair actually did make it out of the crew of Star Trek, the original series, sits in swivel tulip chairs. Today, the tulip chair is one of the most ubiquitous chairs in homes and offices around the world. But sometimes it has four legs. Speaking of Star Trek, my favorite example of mid-century modern design is technically a fantasy world. It's Tomorrowland at Disneyland. Tomorrowland always fancied itself a window into the future, and nothing said progress quite Why, just look at all those tulip chairs. The Tomorrowland Expo Center or Hall of Invention has a 360-degree circular design, One cannot deny the fascination of a building that looks T Notice the asymmetrical blend of curves and straight lines. It is designed to look When Walt Disney dedicated Tomorrowland in 1955, he made a plaque that said, Tomorrowland, a vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man's ac Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure, and ideals, and the hope of a peaceful and unified world. Tomorrowland was once the land of the future. It now feels more I But mid-century modern design didn't just stop at a theme park. Oh no, why have a theme park when you could build a whole city? That's exactly the idea be In 1956, the Brazilian government planned a brand new city that they hoped would bring Brazil into the future. One of the main arc He said, I am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. I am attracted to free-flowing sensual curves, the curves that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the ocean, and on the body of the beloved woman. Curves make up the entire universe, the curved universe of Einstein. In other words, to this is the Alvarada Palace, which is The water feature and these stone swoops make the building look The Quetedral Metropolitana de Brasil looks a lot Could t I think it's very In 1987, Brasilia was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its modern arc Modern design and mid-century modern design, both experimented with shapes and materials. Modern design is sleek, straight and simple. Mid-century modern design is playful, splashy and innovative. Both are experimental design movements that dare to dream of a brighter future. What do you t Do you prefer modern or mid-century modern design? Let me know some of your favorite pieces in the comments. I hope t I hope you learned a little somet Take care everybody. Cheers!