Hipsters and Mid-Centrury Modernism
It is already Thursday, the "Taco Thursday" at the local watering hole I go to with some of my oldest friends. While there tonight we started talking about hipsters, my glasses, and the word "ew." This got me thinking about the relatively recent phenomena of mid-century modern furniture and its strong come back. Why?
Mid-Century modernism was an ideal of simplicity, authenticity, and functionality. After the pioneering of Frank Lloyd Wright in the beginning half of the 20th century many other prominent designers followed suit(or simultaneously) such as Corbusier, Van der Rohe, and Breuer. These designers exemplified everything of this style. It was a clean lined, functional, pure approach to living. The purpose, not different from my own, was to influence others to see life not in the items in your home but rather the functionality of your home as a tool in life to either connect one to nature, work, or life.
My home is filled with many authentic mid-century pieces, I'm often called a hipster for it, for the two reason. One, I love the clean lines and simplicity. Two, they are very functional. The idea behind simple living is not to have clutter clogging your vision in your house, so simple furnishing only make sense. In recent years though there has been a trend toward mid-century style everywhere from the local furniture store to HGTV.
The reason that I believe, and it makes sense, is that people what simplicity given how hectic just living in the present has become. Looking at something as serene and beautiful as a Saarinen tulip table is calming to the eye. It is interesting that when we thought of the future 50 years ago we designed tables like this for a world that was to be more relaxed and simplified, because robots were going to do it all.
Today, obviously our world is far more complex than it was in 1950 and robots are not helping, rather routinely driving us crazy. When is the last time Siri listened to you when you asked for directions or the weather??? Thats what I thought, she told you that mayonnaise has eggs in it, not the forecast. Personally, I see these mid-century pieces as a symbol of serenity in a busy world. That tulip table is simple and has one function, to be a table nothing more. Yet, seeing it it is also artwork.
So, oddly enough the hipsters might be on to something. That old mid-century stuff that they pay too much for to be obscure might really be a good choice.
Mid-Century modernism was an ideal of simplicity, authenticity, and functionality. After the pioneering of Frank Lloyd Wright in the beginning half of the 20th century many other prominent designers followed suit(or simultaneously) such as Corbusier, Van der Rohe, and Breuer. These designers exemplified everything of this style. It was a clean lined, functional, pure approach to living. The purpose, not different from my own, was to influence others to see life not in the items in your home but rather the functionality of your home as a tool in life to either connect one to nature, work, or life.
My home is filled with many authentic mid-century pieces, I'm often called a hipster for it, for the two reason. One, I love the clean lines and simplicity. Two, they are very functional. The idea behind simple living is not to have clutter clogging your vision in your house, so simple furnishing only make sense. In recent years though there has been a trend toward mid-century style everywhere from the local furniture store to HGTV.
The reason that I believe, and it makes sense, is that people what simplicity given how hectic just living in the present has become. Looking at something as serene and beautiful as a Saarinen tulip table is calming to the eye. It is interesting that when we thought of the future 50 years ago we designed tables like this for a world that was to be more relaxed and simplified, because robots were going to do it all.
Today, obviously our world is far more complex than it was in 1950 and robots are not helping, rather routinely driving us crazy. When is the last time Siri listened to you when you asked for directions or the weather??? Thats what I thought, she told you that mayonnaise has eggs in it, not the forecast. Personally, I see these mid-century pieces as a symbol of serenity in a busy world. That tulip table is simple and has one function, to be a table nothing more. Yet, seeing it it is also artwork.
So, oddly enough the hipsters might be on to something. That old mid-century stuff that they pay too much for to be obscure might really be a good choice.
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