Design archive · 1945–1975
Form follows life.
A considered guide to the designers, furniture, buildings and visual ideas that made the mid-century feel modern—and still make it matter.
The archive
Six ways into the period.
Move beyond the same familiar icons. Follow a designer, examine an object, read a building, understand a material or learn how to buy with a more informed eye.
Designers
Profiles, collaborations and overlooked bodies of work.
Furniture & objects
Chairs, lighting, ceramics, glass and the details that distinguish them.
Architecture
Houses, civic buildings, interiors and places to visit.
Materials & making
Timber, plywood, fibreglass, steel and the methods that made new forms possible.
Collecting & buying
Labels, condition, restoration and better-informed purchases.
Visual culture
Graphic design, exhibitions, publishing and the wider image of modern life.
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Start here
Mid-century modern is not one look.
It is a web of regional traditions, industrial methods, social ambitions and individual experiments. Our essential guide gives you a useful map without flattening the differences.
Recently added
Stories with a longer life.
Profiles, field guides and close readings designed to be useful well beyond the week they are published.
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How to Date Herman Miller Furniture by Its Label
Herman Miller changed its labels a dozen times between 1946 and 1984. Each change narrows the date of a piece, and one narrows it to a single year.
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The Danish Furniture Makers’ Control Stamp: What It Certifies
The mark certifies Danish origin and a materials standard. It names no designer, guarantees no timber, and cannot appear on furniture made before 1960.
A quiet monthly letter
One object. One building. One designer.
A concise monthly note for people who want to look more closely at twentieth-century design. No daily churn.
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