important figures of mid-century design
husband & wife team, industrial designers
Charles & Ray eames
made significant historical contributions to the development of modern architecture and furniture. Among their most recognized designs is the Eames molded plywood chairs and molded plywood round coffee table
Danish architect and furniture designer
Arne Jacobsen
He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple well-designed chairs, like the swan chair.
designer of Herman Miller's iconic posters
Stephen Frykholm
Hired by Herman Miller in 1970 as their in-house graphic designer, one of Frykholm’s first assignments was to design a poster for the company’s annual picnic, The Corn Festival. Read the fascinating story of how Frykholm’s in-house project became a national icon.
American Artist and landscape architect
Isamu Noguchi
Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi's artistic career spanned six decades. He also designed several mass-produced lamps and furniture pieces, like his cyclotane table and glass coffee table, which are still manufactured and sold.
founder of herman miller manufacturing company
D.J. De Pree
American businessman and entrepreneur most remembered for his extraordinary manufacturing company, Herman Miller, which has produced some of the most iconic furniture of the mid-century era of the twentieth century, remaining a leader in furniture manufacturing today.
architect and furniture designer
Warren Platner
Platner produced a furniture collection that has proved to be a continuing icon of 1960s modernism, for example, his dining chairs as seen in the Smithsonian Institute. He is also famed with designing several prominent interiors
German-Austrian cabinet & furniture maker
Michael Thonet
Thonet is known for the invention of bent-wood furniture. His breakthrough was his creation of light, strong wood bent into curved, graceful shapes by forming the wood in hot steam, as seen in his famous rocking chair
Finnish-American architect and industrial designer
Eero Saarinin
created innovative designs for buildings and monuments, including the passenger terminal at Dulles International Airport; the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport; and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. He is also remembered in the field of furniture design.
Danish furniture and interior designer
Verner Panton
Verner Panton is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. Creating innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, especially plastics, and in vibrant and exotic colors, his style was very "1960s" but regained popularity at the end of the 20th century.