Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style [Hardcover]

Andrew Weaving (Author), Neil Bingham (Author), Magnus Englund (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2000

In recent years, mid-20th-century modern furniture, ceramics, glass, and textiles have become hugely popular among people who appreciate the stylish contribution that these pieces make to today's home. Modern Retro will inspire you to create a look that combines classics by such visionaries as the Eameses, Bertoia, and Aalto with thrift-store finds and the best contemporary design. Created by modern classics dealer Andrew Weaving and design commentator Nell Bingham, with photography by Andrew Wood, Modern Retro is not about slavishly recreating a period feel. Instead, it shows how to take the best designs of the 1920s through the 1970s and use them throughout your home in a relaxed and individual way. Past and present can sit stylishly together -- allowing you to make the most of the gloriously eclectic forms, colors, and patterns available.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Neil Bingham is a curator of the Drawings Collection at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. A frequent commentator on 20th-century architecture, interior design and the decorative arts, he has contributed to World of Interiors, Country Life and Perspectives on Architecture and is author of several architecture books, including a study of the Modernist architect Christopher Nicholson. Neil is a passionate collector of the 1950s and lives in one of the celebrated 'Span' houses in Blackheath, South London.

Andrew Weaving trained as an interior designer before moving into the fashion world and working as Display Director for Browns, Calvin Klein and Armani. He has styled and written features on retro style for Elle Decoration and Metropolitan Home and now runs a gallery, Century, in London. Century specializes in mid-century modern American design, with both originals and re-editions by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Eliel Saarinen, plus work by new designers. Andrew divides his time between an early 19th-century town house furnished with pieces from the 1950s and a flat-roofed Modernist house, furnished with 1930s originals. Modern Retro is his first book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small; 1st edition (September 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841721034
• ISBN-13: 978-1841721033
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,008,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational book, November 14, 2000

By 

"drchrisyeo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style (Hardcover)

For a book on home furnishings, this book certainly contains enough good pictures to get you inspired. It is also well researched and written and actually covers quite a lot of ground inspite of its rather small size at 144 pages. In fact, this book is so good, I only wish there was a bigger version of it, with even more wonderful examples of lovely interiors filled with retro furniture. This book covers interior styles from the Art Deco period to the 1970s. It does mention a little of the famous designers such as Noguchi, Eames, Nelson, etc., but its primary purpose is to teach you about how to achieve the modern retro look, with discussions on living rooms, kitchens, work rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, furniture, lighting and accessories. What I find particularly useful is the list of retailers specializing in original pieces of furniture, a list of retailers and manufacturers of modern re-issues, and a list of architects and designers whose work had been featured in the book. Be warned though, that the list consists mostly of companies in the United Kingdom. This book is definitely a good buy for enthusiasts of retro furniture.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and accessible, June 14, 2002

By 

A. Whitney (Silicon Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style (Hardcover)

Since I already have a few 50-60's modern pieces in my home, I purchased this book to give me a better idea of what other items were out there. The designs have great style, but seem totally achievable. Using this book as a guide and source of inspiration you could decorate your home in a comfortable yet stylish manner. Some of the pieces they show are pricey, while others are probably inexpensive flea market finds. The author gives you enough information that you could go out into the flea markets and antique/second hand shops and make some sound purchase. It is a shame the book is less than 200 pages. I would have loved to see more.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expensive style without the costs!, December 29, 2001

By 

Katie B. (Anchorage, AK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style (Hardcover)

This book is amazing. It teaches you to create a contemporary looking home, without the outrageous costs of designer furnishings. It tells you what to look for at thrift stores, and how to use what you already have. I would highly reccommend this book to anyone even just a little bit interested in design! It's truly great.