When I think about something that defies trends, the mid-century modern easily comes to mind.
Despite being a nearly century-old style, it continues to impart timelessness in our homes, offices, cafés, and outdoor living spaces.
Furniture designs in this style ditched the intricate and ornate decorations that were prevalent for ages before MCM. It gave a fresh approach to minimalism. A glimpse of the future. Because of this, it sparked the interest of many European and American designers.
With designs ranging from vintage versions to the use of newer materials, these iconic mid-century furniture designs will keep your space looking spruced up like never before.
There’s nothing like a functional chair that is also beautiful. A statement piece of a seat designed to be ergonomic with alluring silhouettes. And a unique, lightweight chair that also doubles as a sculpture.
You see, mid-century chairs were all about function and form.
In this post, we’ll have a look at some of the most famous mid-century modern chair designs out there. I’ll also share with you the history behind each as well as the defining elements of MCM.
How Can You Tell if a Chair Is Mid-Century?
The mid-century design movement stood the test of time due to its universal appeal. But not everyone is an expert at identifying a mid-century chair from a bunch. It’s important to know the features and elements of MCM chairs that reflect the principles of that movement.
Form Follows Function
The most significant influence of the Bauhaus movement and Prairie style on the mid-century design was probably the acceptance of architect Louis Sullivan’s (1856-1924) maxim, “Form follows function.” It expresses the idea that the form of a building or object should be closely linked to its intended function or purpose.
It is not important how many functions a chair serves. We’re mainly referring to the artistic and careful techniques that are also a hallmark of mid-century modern design. Ornamentation is fine as long as it serves a function.
This explains why the designs of mid-century dining room chairs differ from those of lounge chairs. It is the reason why a mid-century seat next to a coffee table looks different from one with a matching ottoman.
And these differences grew even more evident because of the MCM designers’ pursuit of perfection and their enthusiasm for creating the best designs for the new century.
The different and unique designs are the result of the form-follows-function principle. It’s why there’s a wide range of mid-century chair styles on the market. But it is also because of this that they are easily recognizable.
Defined by Clean Lines
One of the key features of MCM chairs is clean lines. This holds true regardless of the construction materials used. But this doesn’t mean that they have stiffly forms.
While there are mid-century chairs with detailed angles and straight lines, others have sleek and organic shapes. But, all have the same aesthetic appeal, which stems from the designers attentively considering all the details and lines.
MCM, being the birther of new minimalism, pared down the past centuries prior’s chairs of excessive ornamentation. Many of the famous mid-century modern chair designs simply boast elegant simplicity. The lines and forms became part of their stylistic elements.
Designed in Organic Shapes Using Ergonomic Principles
Mid-century chair styles are ergonomic as they are elegant.
There are many famous mid-century modern chairs with smoother, more organic forms. However, some designers like Florence Knoll prefer straight lines in her sofas and lounge chair. But she still designed it with ergonomics in mind. She maintained consistent angles to meet ergonomic requirements.
Certain mid-century dining chairs were designed to ensure an upright position. But those chairs also have curved lines to maintain comfort and organic charm.
Minimalist
Mid-century modern chairs sport a minimalist look. This stylistic element allows them to be incorporable into any space without making it look cluttered. This design feature reflects a fondness for open spaces. As well as a minimalist approach created from the strategic placement of decorative pieces, leaving the space light and airy.
The minimalist approach also birthed most chairs with very small visual footprints.
Certain chair designs, however, required some wise design choices to achieve a minimalist look. Some of them can take up more space than others. So, they must include carefully thought-out platforms with tapering legs.
Others have simple primary support, allowing the light to flow below the design. One good example of this is Bertoia’s Diamond chair.
Outdoor-Friendly
Most mid-century chair styles were designed for the indoors, but some of them are great for outdoors, too. In fact, there are many mid-century modern chairs created expressly for outdoor use.
You’ll find versatile ones that are lightweight for easy placement by the pool deck. There are also chairs crafted from weather-resistant materials. Whichever chair you choose, it has all the same characteristics as its indoor version. But with special improvements that make it suited for outdoor use.
Famous Mid-Century Modern Chair Designs
Mid-century chair styles boast a timeless charm that we still appreciate today. Now, let’s have a sit and talk about the history behind these iconic chairs and (maybe) bring them into your own space.
Womb Chair, 1946, Eero Saarinen
Elegant, minimalist, and a statement piece. Saarinen’s goal behind this design is to create a chair that, as the man himself describes, feels like “a basket full of pillows.”
At the onset of the design process, he faced a challenge, but he went primal with it, coming up with a design that represents comfort: the womb chair. This comfortable chair began its production two years following the completion of the design.
In Saarinen’s own words, “The chair is an attempt to rectify this maladjustment in our civilization.”
The Womb Chair is crafted from a few materials and includes a fabric-wrapped, molded fiberglass bucket mounted on top of tubular steel legs. Its frame looks thin and has that skeletal look to it, but it keeps the chair from looking bulky given its considerable silhouette.
The chair is comfy without needing any additional padding, owing to a nicely formed fiberglass shell. It’s a piece of elegance and function.
Panton Chair, 1960s, Verner Panton
Designed by Verner Panton, this classic chair also known as the “stacking chair” provides wonderful seating comfort. That comfort comes from the cantilever design (and was the first of its kind) and its shape. As well as the flexible construction materials used.
The chair has gone through various production stages since its entry into the market. In 1999, the chair was produced in its original form. It was built from sturdy, dyed-through plastic with a beautiful matte finish.
The Panton Chair is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use and works well alone or in groups. And if you want to add pops of color, a colorful set of these chairs will look good outdoors!
The stacking chair quickly became one of the most iconic designs of the mid-century modern movement due to its expressive form and comfort-focusing design. It earned multiple international design awards and is now in the catalogs of many prestigious museums in the world.
Wassily Chair, 1925, Marcel Breuer,
Marcel Breuer designed many great unique pieces, but his Wassily chair is probably the most iconic of them all. His revolutionary furniture designs and use of tubular steel earned him acclaim, one of which from Wassily Kandinsky, an abstract artist who also taught at Bauhaus.
The armchair, also called the Model B3, was given the name Wassily by an Italian manufacturer who learned that Kandinsky appreciated the prototype. He later received a handcrafted version of the chair from Breuer.
It’s built from curved steel tubes and leather slings. And an Adler bicycle was the inspiration for its shape. Breuer admired the aesthetic of the tubular frame and sought to replicate the traditional club chair using the cycle’s structure, bringing it to its most basic form.
The result is a seat that is ergonomic and comfortable while remaining very sculptural and minimalist. It became a symbol of how the modern design approach could be used to design everyday products due to its unique exposed framework.
Eames Lounge Chair, 1956, Charles and Ray Eames
Dynamic, husband-wife duo Charles and Ray Eames designed one of the most iconic mid-century modern pieces of all time.
The Eames Lounge Chair was designed to be a spacious lounge chair that combined ergonomics with high-quality materials and artistry. But it took several years to create the ideal lounge chair, which differed from a practical club chair. This one has a lighter, more exquisite shape that offers unrivaled comfort.
It’s made out of a bent-wood frame that the Eameses pioneered by pressing together layers of thin wood veneer with their “Kazam! machine.” The chair is upholstered in luxurious, silky leather.
The famous Eames design is so loved and treasured. It’s permanently slanted back, nearly scarily low to the ground. But if you toss your legs up on the matching ottoman and nestle in, you’ll feel as if you’ve never truly experienced comfort in a chair before.
Egg Chair, 1958, Arne Jacobsen
One of my personal favorites is this adorable egg chair. The contour of the chair was rather odd at the time. And it came to be for a similarly odd reason. Danish architect Aarne Jacobsen planned the lobby of the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen to be a striking contrast to its modernist frontage.
He thoughtfully designed everything in space. From the doorknobs to lightings to the silver flatware in the restaurant to the foyer, which has been dotted with Egg seats.
The chair is a classic. And there’s a reason why this modern twist on the classical wing chair is all over Scandinavian design and everywhere else.
It’s originally made of steel frame and custom seafoam upholstery. However, when the fabrication improved, the Egg chair was upgraded to integrate a tilting function and several other minor refinements that otherwise enhanced its weight.
It features a polyurethane foam inner shell that is cushioned with additional foam and an exterior layer of fabric. The cradled seat is attached to an aluminum star-rotating base that does not wobble, even when you turn 360 degrees around. You can even tilt back 45 degrees to experience its reclining capability.
The Egg chair’s ergonomic design and innovative form make it one of the most coveted mid-century chair styles of all time.
Ball Chair, 1963, Eero Aarnio
Also known as the Globe Chair, Eero Aarnio’s Ball Chair is well-known for its unusual design. It’s regarded as a classic of industrial design.
The Ball Chair is a nice molded-fiberglass orb, hollowed out to accommodate a foam-filled fabric seat, fastened to a disk-shaped metal base. Latest editions of the bubble chair have grown in size as well. Some of them have features including a speaker and MP3 player.
Even though it shook the modern design world, Aarnio’s “odd” chair won him incredible recognition. The bubble chair cemented his affiliation with the 1960s pop art and space craze. Odd enough that the brilliantly colored piece’s sleek pod-like design looks like it’s designed for sci-fi classics.
Despite the success of his unique creation, Aarnio stressed that he didn’t intend to create either ‘pop’ or ‘space-age design,’ as people would call it. His goal was to design the most workable shape for the new materials.
Diamond Chair, 1952, Harry Bertoia
Harry Bertoia’s Diamond Chair is one of the most successful designs in the mid-century movement. Designed in collaboration with the Knolls, Bertoia came up with this design idea by exploring whatever he liked.
He experimented with metal until he came up with the wire grid design that could be bent at his whim. Bertoia not only designed the chairs’ airy shape, but he built the manufacturing molds needed in mass production as well.
The chair is also lightweight, making it for both indoor and outdoor use. And, at a period when most seats and chairs were crafted from stiff wood, his furniture line, with welded wire and a springy quality, was completely unique and innovative.
Did You Spot Your Fave?
All mid-century chair styles make a statement and boast designs that are breathtaking. Their elegance and simplicity go beautifully with modern and contemporary spaces.
Tell me which of these designs stood out to you—I’d love to know!
Good luck!
FAQs
What is mid-century style called?
Mid-century modern (MCM) is an American classic that incorporates elements from the Bauhaus era (1930s). It is a design movement that has inspired architectural, interior, and industrial design, as well as graphic arts.
What is the difference between mid-century and mid-century modern furniture?
The terms mid-century and mid-century modern are used interchangeably. However, there’s a slight difference between the two. Mid-century modern is a movement that emerged after World War II in 1945. Mid-century is a style that started in the 1930s.
What shapes are mid-century modern?
When it comes to mid-century modern furniture design, think of geometric patterns and curved and clean lines. Furniture with organic shapes, such as angular chairs with some curves are also unique features of MCM.
Iconic furniture includes tulip tables, long and low couches, and diamond chairs. You’ll also find certain pieces of furniture with tapered and splayed legs. Chairs with hairpin legs are common as well.
What years are mid-century furniture?
Mid-century first hit the market from 1933 to 1965. Famous mid-century modern designers like Charles and Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen, Harry Bertoia, and George Nelson produced timeless furniture and fixtures.
