Mid century design

When referring to mid century design we speak of the design movement that became popular after world war two. This design style ruled until the late 70s. This design style gave us clean lines, gentle organic curves and a lot of different materials that designers use frequently today.

You can find the mid century design almost everywhere in 2020. For instance talk shows like the “The daily show” are using a classic Knoll office chair for the guests to sit on.

We at Noma Nordic are based in Stockholm, Sweden, and specializes in mid century modern furniture, lamps, ceramics, jewelry etc from the 1930s up to the 1980s.

What is the difference between mid century design and mid century design modern?

A lot of people think mid century design and modern mid century design are the same. But there’s a huge difference. They may be synonyms when describing many things, but in design, modern vs. contemporary are quite different.

Modern design refers to an era that has passed, while contemporary design is all about the now and the future.

The most popular modern design era is the mid century modern era of the 50s and 60s.

Under our subpage called “Sold” you can see what other people have purchased.

The most distinct difference between them to are that mid century design often features wood and earlier elements.

And modern mid century design features state of art materials, glass and metals.

There is also a difference in design colors.

Mid century modern design often sticks to a stricter palate of black, white and grey. If color is added, the color is often the pure, saturated tone like true red, indigo or orange. Mid century design colors have an earthier hue and feature shades like rust, turquoise, brown and olive greens.

Mid century designers

There are several mid century designers we have to thank for the design we have today. We have listed a few that have continued to inspire designers who came after them. Furniture pieces inspired by their designs, as well as copies are greatly sought after.

Although we at Noma Nordic specializes in Scandinavian mid century design.

In America, Herman Miller became synonymous with “modern” furniture and worked with the likes of George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames. Knoll, that we have mention earlier, is another company known for its classic furniture mid century modern pieces.

Below are some of the best-known designers of this period. This is by no means an exhaustive list:
George Nelson
Edward Wormley
Eero Saarinen
Harry Bertoia
Arne Jacobsen
Charles Eames and his wife Ray Eames
Eileen Gray
Isamu Noguchi
Verner Panton
Jens Risom
Alexander Girard

Finishing words about the mid century design era

We at Noma Nordic specializes in products from the mid century. Our focus is mainly on the scandinavian design. You can read more about the scandinavian designers here.

Most of the newer designs we see in homes and building are based from the mid century design.

If you have any questions or inquires please feel free to contact us. You can reach us at either noma@nomanordic.com or +46 (0)70 389 86 84 from 12 am to 5pm CET, Monday to Friday.