Modernism in America 2

 Modernism in America Part Two 

In Mid-Century modern Architecture there were many commonalities in their appearance and elements. In lots of architecture there were many fat roofs, angular details, and asymmetrical profiles. There were many expansive walls of glass. As well as clean lines and open floorplans. I feel these are elements that have stuck around. It is very common and popular to have open floorplans and glass. Also, in this time period they were the first to use bi-level structures. It also became popular to have the indoor spaces married to the outdoors. This is also a concept that is popular, it is very common to have indoor and outdoor spaces that complement each outer and work together. 

    This is an element that I am planning on using in my container home. The outdoors is a very important aspect to the location of my Container Home so this is an important aspect that I will be adding to my design. Lots of these Mid-century modern homes had a color palate of warm, earthy tones with the idea of nature at the center of the design. As well as the incorporation of trendy colors, at the time these were pink, gray, turquoise, black and yellow. In the 1950s and 1960s lots of the furniture was plastic and resin. Lots had laminates and fiberglass, these all helped to design and fuel their creativity. Materials that could be shaped and let their creativity flow to design. 

    Joseph Eichler was a real-estate developer in California; in lots of his work, he was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. He developed Mid-century tract housing for the average American family. Lots of these designs had post and beam construction, lots of open floorplans, and glass walls. Over his time working he built over 11,000 homes. After looking through his works we see the common low slope or no slope A-frame roofs. I enjoyed how different each interior was, especially with the colors and woods in each. Some were more white colors and bright colors. These interiors were playing with different trends and color palates. In other interiors they were very warm and went with the context of the home. 

    Throughout this time there were many different furniture designers that influenced the time. One being Eero Saarinen, he attended the Yale School of Architecture and worked with Charles and Ray Eames. He most famously created the Tulip Chair. Saarinen was not committed to one particular modern style but considered the desired and needs of his clients. he was known for the use of sweeping curves and the abundant use of curves. He used a sculptural approach to furniture design. His furniture was created from modern materials such as fiber glass and aluminum. A popular design of his was the Womb Chair. 

ONE STEP FURTHER 

Charles and Ray Eames also had a large influence through the Mid-century modern era. Charles Eames was an Architect and Industrial Designer; he studied and taught at Cranbrook Academy. Ray Eames was an Artist and Film maker. They both had a great influence on the lifestyle of the average American family. In many of their designs they considered the ergonomic factors in their furniture design. They were very experimental and developed the molded plywood chair and used lots of modern materials such as plywood and plastics.