Mid-Century Modern Furniture is the definitive collector's reference for the period between the late 1930s and early 1970s — cataloguing hundreds of pieces as objects of formal invention, manufacturing intelligence, and material innovation rather than mere style survey.
About This Book
Where most mid-century modern publications treat the era as aesthetic territory, this volume approaches it as a collector's discipline. Post-war optimism collided with new manufacturing methods and materials — plywood, fibreglass, moulded plastics — to produce an explosion of furniture design that continues to command serious market attention. Dominic Bradbury profiles hundreds of pieces, from armchairs and chaises longues to cabinets and nightstands, balancing canonical works with rare and out-of-production pieces by lesser-known designers. In-depth descriptive texts accompany full-colour photography throughout, while the reference section adds essays on key materials and individual designer profiles. For collectors, design librarians, and studio practitioners, this is the resource the field has long needed.
Key Features
- 448 pages of full-colour photography and in-depth descriptive texts on hundreds of furniture pieces
- Written by Dominic Bradbury, with a reference section including material essays and designer profiles
- Notable designer coverage includes Piet Hein, Bruno Mathsson, Lina Bo Bardi, and Alexander Girard alongside well-known and lesser-known figures
- Published by Thames & Hudson, ISBN 9780500022221
What You'll Discover
- How post-war manufacturing techniques — including plywood fabrication and new synthetic materials — directly shaped the formal possibilities of mid-century furniture design
- The distinction between classic designs still in continuous production and rare or out-of-production pieces that now define the collector's market
- Designer profiles spanning both canonical figures and lesser-known talents, including Piet Hein, Bruno Mathsson, Lina Bo Bardi, and Alexander Girard
- A material-focused reference framework that situates each piece within the broader context of manufacturing intelligence and design history
About the Author
Dominic Bradbury is the author of the in-depth descriptive texts and designer profiles throughout this volume. Each furniture piece is profiled through his writing, which situates objects within their material, manufacturing, and design-historical contexts.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 448
- Dimensions: 238 x 297 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9780500022221
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Furniture collectors building a working reference library, interior designers sourcing and authenticating mid-century pieces, design historians researching post-war material culture, and architecture students studying the relationship between manufacturing innovation and object design.