Midcentury architecture is synonymous with clean lines, floor-to-ceiling windows, and materials such as concrete and wood. It is characterized by austerity, having rejected the ornamentation of earlier styles. Furniture, objects, and textiles of the midcentury similarly prioritize functionality, organic shapes, and minimalism.
“Design is a response to social change,” George Nelson, a pioneering American industrial designer, wrote in the 1950s. In Europe, people were dealing with postwar rubble and black markets. In America, a glossy consumer culture was rising, and quantity, not quality, was becoming paramount. Much of the rest of the world was under the influence of Communism.
