Earlywood: Mid-century Furniture: When the Problem is Also the Solution

Publisher’s note: It’s Saturday, which means it’s the day for Earlywood, a free excerpt from one of the thousands of pieces I’ve written since 1996. Sometimes, it originally appeared in a magazine article. Or in a book. Or, in this case, a blog post from 2016. Each entry has been updated or annotated with some modern context or point of view. We hope you enjoy it.

I don’t often write about current events – Wait! Wait – this isn’t about the election. I swear on a stack of Roubos that I will never write about that. This blog is a safe place.

What I’m writing about is a story in The New York Times about furniture styles headlined: “Why Won’t Midcentury Design Die?” Here’s a link to original story (no guarantee that they will let you read it, I’m afraid).

The story begins:

In 1998, The New York Times noted a new design trend. Cool creative types were tossing aside their thrift store décor in favor of midcentury modern. Out went the funky votive candles and wrought-iron beds, and in came the c…