Famous Modernist furniture designers guide, Mid-century modern architecture style, Architect designs list

Famous Modernist Furniture Designers List

27 November 2021

The modernist design also referred to as mid-century modern, is a discipline that has many notable names. You will likely have seen many recreations of these popular designs in places you have worked, other people’s homes, and may have replica chairs and mid-century modern furniture in your own house. Our famous modernist furniture designers guide gives you information on the people behind these quintessential designs.

Eames

If you are familiar with mid-century chairs or retro furniture designs, Eames is likely a name you have encountered before. Ray and Charles Eames created furniture that takes inspiration from innovative Bauhaus elements and the rise in Art Deco. Moulded wood and plastic are formed to hug the body’s curves, and replica Eames chairs are a common sight in homes and offices worldwide.

Arne Jacobsen

Arne Jacobsen is another renowned name in modernist furniture, and this Danish designer has created some of the most recognisable pieces of the period. The Jacobsen egg chair is a hugely popular choice for anyone looking to have a classic piece of mid-century modern furniture.

Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, a german-born architect, is considered a pioneer in modernist architecture. He was the last director of the Bauhaus school of modern art, design, and architecture, and he is regarded as a leader in the ‘less is more’ approach to furniture design. He has created many inspirational pieces, including the leather Barcelona chair, designed for the King and Queen of Spain.

Harry Bertoia

Bertoia was an artist, sculptor, and modernist furniture designer that moved from his native Italy to study in the United States in his teens. He applied the art of sculpture to his furniture, creating some classic mid-century modern chairs using strips of wire welded together in unique patterns. Bertoia created a design collection for another notable designer of the period, Florence Knoll, including his most infamous Diamond chair piece.

Florence Knoll

Many of the most prominent names in modernist design crossed paths and collaborated, including Florence Knoll. She is known for revolutionising the design of office furniture bringing a modernist structure to the workplace. One of her most popular designs was the womb chair which she worked with Eero Saarinen to create, and you will see Knoll-style armchairs prominently featured in furniture shops today.

Eero Saarinen

Eero Saarinen was born in Finland, and following his move to America to help his father design furniture at Cranbrook University, he rose to become an icon of modernist design. Saarinen was one of the first designers to use moulded plywoods to create fluid designs that are synonymous with his name. His most famous works are the tulip chair, the womb chair he made for the Knoll collection, and the pedestal table.

Famous Modernist Furniture Designers Summary

While original mid-century pieces may be out of your price range, you can still enjoy these historic designs in your own home. The fact that these are still being reproduced today proves that good design lasts forever. If you want to buy a replica mid-century chair or classic designs to elevate the look of your home, browse our affordable retro furniture today.

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Building Designs

Glasgow Architecture Designs – architectural selection below:

New Glasgow Architectural Photos
Glasgow Architectural Photos

Holiday Inn Pacific Quay Hotel
Architects: Mosaic Architecture + Design

image courtesy of architects studio
Holiday Inn Pacific Quay Hotel

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