Australian Mid-Century Modern: Buying, Collecting and Restoration

A few years ago I wrote a post ‘Australian Modern on a Budget’ about buying Australian Mid-Century Modern Furniture. A reader recently asked me to update the post, so I decided to write an update that includes a few tips on getting a bargain and taking care of your treasured mid-century pieces. When it comes

The Boyd Collection

The architect Robin Boyd (1919-1971) is well known for his iconic modernist buildings. The Walsh Street house in South Yarra, Melbourne, now the home of the Boyd Foundation, was built by Boyd for his family in 1957 and illustrates  Boyd’s ability to create light filled and harmonious domestic spaces.  Boyd was a man of many

Clement Meadmore: Man of Steel

If you’re a regular reader of the Australian Modern blog then it will come as no surprise that we are big fans of Clement Meadmore. Arguably the greatest of the Australian Mid-Century industrial designers, Meadmore’s furniture and lighting is in a class of its own. In the early 1950s Meadmore set up an independent design

Modernist Streets of your Town

After much anticipation the moment has finally arrived when we can all sit down and enjoy the new 2 part series Streets Of Your Town featuring Australian comedian and lover of all things modernist Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross. It’s not often that you get to visit so many iconic Aussie modernist homes, let alone have a

String Theory: A Mid-Century Modern Chair Mystery.

As you probably know by now, gathering information about our design history often involves hours, and sometimes years, of meticulous research in order to make a positive identification of a design. In the case of the string chair pictured below (left), I have spent the past 5 years searching for the maker without a single clue,

A Gallery of Clement Meadmore Industrial Design

It might not come as much of a surprise to regular readers of the Australian Modern blog, but I do have a passion for the designs of Clement Meadmore. Over the past 5 years I have been researching his industrial design practice throughout the 1950’s and I am keen to hear from collectors and people who knew

Fred Ward: A Life in Design

When it comes to Australian post-war furniture design Fred Ward is perhaps one of the most iconic designers of the period. With a career spanning 60 years, Ward was at the forefront of modernist design trends, designing furniture for the Myer Heritage range, Fler and countless large scale commissions for public institutions.  Fred Ward: A Life in Design

That obscure object of desire: Steel rod furniture

B.K.F Chair by Austral Group, Buenos Aires c.1938 I don’t know what it is about steel rod furniture that I find so pleasing, but it seems that during the 1950’s there was a global design trend that involved the use of steel to produce countless homewares, lamps and furniture. Overseas designers such as Charles and

Highly Strung Design: Modernist String Chairs

If you have ever wondered about the answer to the question ‘how long is a piece of string’? You might be surprised to discover that it all depends on the chair. For me, nothing says post-war design quite like a string chair. Free of the unnecessary padding and upholstery of more traditional furnishings, these chairs

Australian Modern on a Budget

A lot of people think that buying good vintage pieces is expensive, but the good news is that with a bit of research and a discerning eye, it’s easy to find great pieces from the post-war period. Whether it’s a vintage chair for the bedroom, a sideboard as a focal point for the dining room,