A particularly big influence on the MCM movement is the concept of the "Atomic Age". This period of design spanned roughly from the 1940–1960's when the Western consciousness was preoccupied with the threat of nuclear war, and we were in the thick of the great "Space Race". Shapes and themes of this movement emulated atoms, stars, rockets, and imagined galaxy motifs with funky organic shapes such as the iconic "kidney bean" coffee table.
As only about 9% of American homes owned a television in the 1950's, thoughts of space exploration, UFOs, and radio news of atomic actualization left much to the era's designers' vivid imaginations. You can see a great interpretation of this nuclear inspiration in the Original John Keal Modeline teak Mid-century Danish Modern Lamp available in the shop.
The tensions and uncertainty of that time are behind us now, but the yearning for the style of the Atomic Age is very much alive today. Retrofuturism began to surface in 1983, and is considered, "an exploration of past visions of the future." This movement exudes the bittersweet nostalgia of imagining what the future would hold before it came to pass.
If you've been feeling nostalgic lately, we'll be discussing the design of bygone eras and regularly adding new items to the shop — stay tuned!