Modern Home Decor: Mid Century Modern Retro Designers

The Mid Century Modern period saw a shift in home décor and home interior design. All of sudden modern homes had clean lines, with few curves, and there was a minimalist approach to home decorating. The minimalist approach to interior design stressed stripping down furniture and art so that only the most fundamental features remained. Further, designers in the Mid Century Modern period were interested in stretching design by incorporating new materials into functional items for the home and using new colors and space-age style and materials. Minimalism looses the visually unessential and the use of broad color pallets of rich and robust colors. Instead it focuses on solid colors and simple basic lines.

Some American Mid Century Modern designers, who led the rebels into creating the new home decor era, include such greats as George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen. If you are looking for retro treasures for decorating the interior of your home from the mid century era, then finding or buying items with these designers names on them is an excellent way to start to decorate a retro home.

Charles and Ray Eames

Charles Eames may be one of the most famous or easily recognized among the Mid Century designers. This may be true just because he was American and some of the other greats were European. Charles was married to Ray Eames and together they created magnificent retro home designs. Their passion was to design comfortable, affordable furniture for the home that could be effortlessly mass produced. The Eames Wood Lounge Chair is a famous design that uses molded plywood in its structure. Although this chair did not meet the Eame's goal to design a single shell chair (because the final production had two pieces of wood attached by a back), it still was a successful design and continues to be a coveted design for modern retro enthusiasts.

Charles and George Nelson

George Nelson, another American born Mid Century Modern designer had his vision entrenched in modern minimalism. He and the Eames' are dubbed as the founders of American Modernism. George Nelson may be best known for his Slat Bench or the Platform Bench. George's company was called George Nelson and Associates and several designs credited to Nelson were created by employees. Besides modern furniture for the home, Nelson is noted for designing over 300 wall clocks. Some of his most famous clock designs are the Ball, Kite and the Eye. These clocks can be found at Vitra.com.

Charles and Eero Saarinen

Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American designer. As is true with George Nelson, Eero Saarinen collaborated with the Eames and George Nelson. He is equally famous for his architectural designs as well as his home interior designs. Some of his most famous architectural designs include: the St. Louis Arch, Kresge Auditorium on the campus of MIT and the TWA Flight Center or Trans World Flight Center at New York 's John F. Kennedy International Airport. One of his most famous furniture designs is called the Tulip Chair.

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