Mid-century modern: "grandma's" style in the interior is becoming a fashion trend

If over the past decade you have sent your grandmother's dressers, armchairs and chandeliers to the landfill, replacing them with fashionable and modern things from IKEA, then our small review will upset you a little. Just these things from the middle of the 20th century are now coming into fashion and are highly appreciated in modern stylish interiors. 

Mid-century modern - the design direction that appeared after the war and reminded of itself in 2016, has now reached the apogee of popularity and things from the "Khrushchev" and "Stalinist" of our grandparents are getting a new life.

Mid-century modern, or "mid-century modern" is the same "Soviet" style hated by many, which they try to avoid even when renting apartments. Meanwhile, this direction is now experiencing a real renaissance, and the things of the 60-80s of the last century are now worth a lot.

For the first time, the term Mid-century modern was used by a journalist from the USA, Kara Greenberg, in her book "Mid-century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s", published in 1983. Then this concept united the creativity of architects and designers who worked in the States from the mid-1940s to the end of the 1960s.

Today, this style includes things made even in the early 80s, and the place of their creation does not matter much. The main thing is a special, unique design, concise and thereby claiming to be refined.

Coffee tables, stools and chairs with splayed legs, square dressers with a polished wood surface, strange sofas and crystal chandeliers in foreign catalogs are offered to buy at an absurdly high price and they are bought!

Yes, this "scoop" sofa, for the removal of which you were ready to pay extra, now costs more than a thousand dollars. The retroshake of the post-war era, when everything modest and concise was appreciated, inspires fashion designers and gives life to amazing projects that remind us of the scenery for filming old Soviet films.

At the same time, not only large pieces of furniture are valued, but also small details of a bygone era. A thin-legged floor lamp-heron or a dandelion chandelier made of cast glass perfectly complement the mid-century modern interior.

Of course, well-known brands immediately fell into nostalgia and began to mass-produce things of the "grandmother's" format, but can a new model replace authentic objects of a bygone era made of wood, steel, glass, fabric, with a minimum of synthetics?

Of course, things, many of which have changed their sixth decade, need restoration. At the same time, the masters try to preserve the original shape of the objects, only slightly updating them in accordance with the requirements of the 21st century.

For example, worn floral tapestries, which are covered with armchairs and sofas, are changed to modern upholstery fabrics with fashionable geometric patterns or plain. Beige, olive and ochre colors are in special esteem, as they were 50 years ago.

How much do you think these chairs, which were in every polyclinic half a century ago, cost now? You will never guess — after a small restoration, they are sold to connoisseurs of Mid century modern for 700 euros.

This set of stools made of laminated plywood, which many associate with Soviet kindergartens, costs the same amount. In this case, I didn't even have to change the upholstery — the furniture was simply painted with high quality.

You will be surprised by the abundance of offers of furniture and accessories in this style on online shopping sites. Demand creates supply, and those who have not yet had time to throw away their grandmother's sideboards, cabinets and chairs are trying to make money on them.

So, if you have not yet had time to completely update the interior, then you have a great chance to at least improve your financial situation and, at most, become the owner of an ultra-fashionable interior, to the envy of friends.

Finally, it is worth noting that the price is now not only grandmother's dressers and chandeliers, but also other design delights of the mid-20th century. Umberto Giraudo, an industrial design specialist and lecturer at the British Higher School of Design, highly appreciated simple objects in terms of creativity and ergonomics.