The Mid-Century Modernist

Sofa and Armchair with Unique Teak Frame

I haven’t seen anything quite like this sofa currently on eBay. No designer credit or tag, but the lines are pretty special. The seller has a matching armchair up for auction as well. They’d make a nice set for someone looking to create a room sans the more obvious classics.

Eames Molded Plastic Rocker

“love my rocker”, recently submitted to our photo group by Dan Abrams

Grasshopper Chair by Saarinen

Update: This is an old entry, but I had to append it with this incredible orange Grasshopper going up for auction in LA next week.

The Evolving Living Room of T A Stevick

MC,M Group member T A Stevick has a drool-worthy house and shares it generously with us as he rotates his stock of classic furniture.

Here is the latest setup: January 13, 2008 – featuring a Goetz sofa, Bonaldo Spoon chaises, a Frankl table, Bertoia Diamond chair, Eames DCW, and a lamp from Hopf & Wortmann. Those among you with great taste but small budgets, start your envy engines, the parade of great lounge furniture in its natural habitat continues below. Stevick’s room is a veritable museum of important design, but maybe it’s the floor-to-ceiling windows that we love most.

Mid-Century Modern Classics in Miniature

“my collection”, recently submitted to our Mid-Century, Modern Group by yuki.s.

Each handmade Vitra miniature is a classic in the history of furniture design reduced in size at a scale of 1:6. True to the original pieces in structure and materials, the miniatures are precision-crafted, making them a thoughtful gift for a furniture lover or design professional. Each miniature comes handsomely packaged in a wood box with an informational booklet.

Get Vitra miniatures from DWR, retromodern.com, hive modern, and the Vitra Design Museum who uses them as teaching tools:

The Miniatures of the Vitra Design Museum are exemplary teaching objects with regard to quality and craftsmanship, and also iconic manifestations of the Museum Collection. They not only fulfil the financial purpose of contributing to the Museum's budget, but also serve as ideal demonstration pieces within the context of academic studies or skilled trades.

See below for more photos from proud Vitra Miniture owners.

Scoop Chair by Carter Furniture

Once in a while I get a request to identify a piece of vintage furniture. More often than not, I’m not very helpful because I still only know the stuff everyone else knows. Here is another case in point. At least three readers over the last few weeks have asked me to identify their specimen of this little guy from the late ’50s. It’s a small, low chair, made of a single piece of bent plywood with dowel legs.

Mid-Century, Modern Flickr Pic of the Week: Eames Aluminum Group Soft Pad Chair

0518r, recently submitted to our Mid-Century, Modern Group by magnus*. Not certain of the model name, but the tag reads “EA416 L217”. Made in the mid ’80s.

» Eames Aluminum on eBay
» Eames Soft Pad on eBay

Chieftain Chair by Finn Juhl on eBay

Design Addict, one of the premier eBay sellers, has just posted for auction a pristine example of Finn Juhl’s Chieftain chair. Auction ended without a sale. I'll alert you if it's reposted.

Lyx WING Chair by Michael Malmborg

Joining the Eames’ 670, Jacobsen’s Egg, and Wegner’s Ox and Papa Bear in the great guild of wing chairs, Malmborg’s WING has one foot in the past and one deep into the future. So deep, in fact, that the chair uses the NASA memory foam made famous by Tempur-Pedic. Not only that, but WING is the first and only chair ever to be certified by The Space Foundation. But the most exciting first? WING uses the largest single piece of bent ply ever used to create a chair. Thanks, Blue Ant Studio.

Obelisk by Ross Didier for Allermuir

Leather Easy Chair by Wikkelsø for Willadsen

Another incredible piece from design.addict, this easy chair attributed to Illum Wikkelsø is a rare mix of old library cushy leather and sleek modernism. The legs make it.

Hans Wegner Sofa and GE-270 Chairs for Getama Gedsted

eBay seller design.addict just posted a nice living room set by Hans Wegner. The three itmems include a teak sofa and GE-270 armchairs with leather cushions, and a teak coffee table for Andreas Tuck.

Shop: Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters is on a mid-century kick this season. Their new furniture line includes some nice tables with McCobbian angled legs (a rarity in new case goods), a very clean armless sofa in polyester fabric, and a modular lounge chair system in buttoned vinyl. The construction is laminated MDF, so quality should be (like the prices) on par with IKEA, but I am curious how the joinery compares. Comment if you’ve tried ’em!

Armless AX Chair by Hvidt & Mølgaard for Fritz Hansen

Jason Cruz found this beautiful Fritz Hansen chair on Craigslist Providence and is seeking more information about the model and its designer.

Plycraft Lounge by Mulhauser

Plycraft Lounge by Mulhauser — went for $373.88 on eBay (Jan 22, 2006)

Besides producing a heckuva lotta Eames Lounge knockoffs, Plycraft also made a very special lounge of their own, designed by George Mulhauser in the mid-’50s.