Vintage Furniture: Collecting & Living With Modern Design Classics Hardcover – November 16, 2007

"Modern" encompasses furniture from the beginning of the 1900s down to recent years in the beginning of the 21st century, roughly the past century. American and European furniture of this period is taken according to general phases of it such as Pop and Post-Modernism and Late Modernism with a special chapter on The Scandinavians between Early and Mid-Century Modernism. The Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden, and Finland and to a lesser degree Norway receive a separate chapter because in the first couple of decades of the 1900s they produced modernist furniture that was "accessible [and] soft]" in marked contrast to the "industrial aesthetic of the Bauhaus" centered in Germany which had a strong influence on design. Political changes in these countries including Finland's independence from Russia in 1917 and the breakup of the union of Norway and Sweden in 1905 precipitated movements for new identity which distinctive contemporary furniture design free from former historical and cultural influences were a part of along with other, widespread social and economic changes. The Scandinavians made furniture, along with other products such as automobiles by Saab, which were "high quality, easily exported, and high-value." Although Scandinavia got a strong start in early modernist furniture, designers and manufacturers in other European countries and the United States soon followed in its tracks."Modern" refers more to a period of time than a particular style. Like modernist painting, architecture, and other arts and consumer items, modern furniture was eclectic and unpredictable in both appearance and materials. As in other modernist arts and goods, furniture designers imaginatively and idiosyncratically made chairs, sofas, dining tables, bedroom sets, etc., in a wide array of shapes using metal, wood of all kinds, textiles, plastics, glass, and synthetic materials as these were created in the course of the 20th century. The modern furniture--chairs, for example--could appear little different from modernist sculpture. And though it was all meant to be functional and utilitarian, this consideration ostensibly vied with individuality and in many cases an almost experimental reach for innovation and novelty. In many cases, as well, "style" meant a designer's mood or concept entirely; often whimsy or humor as shown with a bright red couch than looks like an oversized pair of lips, a large seat resembling a baseball mitt, or chairs dangling on chain links hung from the ceiling.The "vintage" and "modern" of the different parts of the title is not careless or unthinking. As collectors, designers, auction houses, and others in the trade know, modern furniture, even some from recent decades, has achieved a high status in the world of desirable and valuable collectibles. Sweet deals with identifying such pieces, bidding at auction, etc., in a short section toward the end. Despite the modernist styles using chrome, teak, and plastic, and other industrial, nontraditional materials, the furniture is regarded as vintage--vintage modernist, so to speak. Numerous color photographs and Sweet's succinct, informative text highlight the variety of outstanding modernist pieces of furniture from both the design and the collectibility/investment standpoints.

Just excellent!

It just turned out I already owned this book but with another title (Retro furniture classics),a different cover and a different ISBN. So now I have two of the same books and I feel pretty misled. Not sure who to contact but it ticked me off.No complaints about the content, that's why I was on the lookout for another book from the author.

Great Book in excellent condition. Found the photos enormously helpful. Anyone looking for vintage furniture in thrift stores or at flea markets will benefit from seeing this book.

Excellent content and color photographs throughout. A great coffee-table book but more than that, a wonderful reference without being too stodgy or pedantic.