The 1940s to the late-1960s was when interior design swept the nation. But at the time interior design defined things like graphic and industrial design and architecture; all going for a specific aesthetic – simplicity in clean lines and sculptural forms.

This was the moment that the phrase “less is more”, by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe,  was born. Three magnificent chairs capture the essence of MCM:

Form,  light, and space defined many Mid-Century homes’ architecture. These homes also featured high ceilings and lots of open spaces; it was all about sleek and modern designs. Stone, brick, and wood were the most popular materials at that time.

Some notable Mid-Century Modern architects included people like Richard Neutra, Eero Saarinen, John Lautner, Paul Revere Williams, and Joseph Eichler, and of course, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, creator of the Barcelona Chair, but of great skyscrapers, like the Seagrams, building.

When it came to furniture, the new designs boasted sleek and sculptural forms that were all about physical ergonomics. The common thought was that furniture design should focus on and complement the human body, to provide comfort by all means.

Another Mid-Century Modern furniture feature is innovative materials like plywood, fiberglass, Plexiglas, and tubular steel, and fabricating techniques, which helped create unique shapes of many of the furniture pieces inspired in this era. The Barcelona Chair, with its superb join of leather and steel, is a remarkable example.

For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the opportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Sofa  or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.