Categories / Design and Interiors

50s-style lounge chair by & then design

&then chair

Looking for some alternative mid-century seating, away from some of the most famous designs of the period? Try this lounge chair from & then design. Like the company's Leigh cabinet, it's an up-to-date take on mid-century style, in this case specifically inspired by Scandinavian design of the 1950s.

The influences are clear but there's enough unique touches here – such as the brightly coloured upholstered seat and the sharp lines of its arms – to make the chair an attractive and distinctive design in its own right. 

The chair costs £830. 

Buy it from My Deco

Categories / Design and Interiors

‘Stockholm retro’ sideboard at Frances Hunt

Stockholm retro sideboard

It's called the 'Stockholm retro' sideboard and the name explains exactly what it does: reproducing Scandinavian mid-century looks for the twenty-first century. 

The sideboard is made from lacquered oak and has a simple design, with the nice simple detail of the sloping legs. For the practical issue of storage, it contains two cupboards with built-in shelves. 

It's one of Stockholm retro range available at Frances Hunt, which also includes chairs, a dining table and coffee table, and is worth a browse for mid-century style on a limited twenty-first century budget. 

The sideboard costs £339. 

Buy it online

Categories / Design and Interiors

Midcentury Modern show back in Dulwich this weekend

Midmodshow06

Fans of the mid-century look who are about in London this weekend will be delighted to hear that the ever popular Midcentury Modern show is back in Dulwich this Sunday 21 March. 

Always worth a browse, the show will contain the usual mix of sellers of the real thing, ranging across furniture, textiles, art, ceramics and glass, combined with contemporary designers such as People Will Always Need Plates and Tracy Kendall whose work is sympathetic to the period. 

As an added bonus, the show is held in the 60s designed concrete and glass refectory of Dulwich College, pictured. Prices range from £10 up to £5000 but bitter experience tells me that the more affordable pieces are snapped up early. The show is open from 10am until 4pm, with entrance costing £6.

Find out more online  

Categories / Books, Design and Interiors

Make It! Mid-Century Modern on-line ‘how to’ book

MCM-eBook-11-0911

It's hard to keep track of the hundreds of mid-century classics we've featured on this site, alongside the contemporary pieces that use them for inspiration. However, all too often the style comes with a hefty price tag. If you like the look, but not the high costs involved, you may be interested in 'Make It', a how-to book on mid-century style that's available on-line. 

The book has been put together by the people behind the Curlby web community and features twelve different projects ranging from how to make a Nelson-style clock, as shown above, to recreating your own Calder-influenced mobile or Girard-inspired Ottoman. The text also has information on all the designers highlighted. 

With templates and patterns included, if you're craftily inclined, it sounds well worth the $9.99 for a downloadable colour pdf or $18 for a full colour printed version. 

Find out more on-line

Categories / Homeware

Brooklyn mid-century style range at Littlewoods

Brooklyn-range

Mid-century style cupboards and sideboards at reasonable prices? Better take a look at the McCord Brooklyn range from Littlewoods then. 

Littlewoods certainly isn't the first place I'd think of when looking for new furniture. However, this new range defies expectations and really looks pretty good. It's made from oak veneer and has nice detailing for the handles too.

Even better is that lots of the range is currently reduced. Prices range from £84 for a lamp table up to £211 for a sideboard. 

See the range online

Categories / Art and Photography

Invisible Creature Time Will Tell print

Invisible creature
A nice piece of mid-century inspired art from Invisible Creature with their Time Will Tell print

Invisible Creatures is the work of brothers Don and Ryan Clark. This print features lots of George Nelson alike clocks depicted in a sympathetically Fifties graphic style. It's a limited edition that sells for $50. If you like their style, Velocity Art and Design is also selling their 'Prized Possessions' print which illustrates some classic mid-century furniture. 

Buy it from online