It’s no secret that mid-century modern design is trending. The current craze for all things made in the 1950s, 60s and 70s is also largely due to celebrities showing their interest in this exciting era of furniture production – be it by furnishing their own homes with mid-century modern design pieces or incorporating it in their artistic work. Youtube channels like “Architectural Digest” or “Vogue” grant us a look inside the homes of famous personalities, such as actress Dakota Johnson or singer Lenny Kravitz.
The Hollywood home owned by Dakota Johnson just looks like something straight out of a mid-century modern time capsule. Located in the midst of lush green plants and bamboo trees, the interior of Johnson’s home designed by American architect Carl Maston perfectly strikes the balance between clean and cozy. Her living room area, for example, is furnished with antiques, a 1950s credenza by Paul Laszlo for Brown Saltman and vintage seating surrounding a mid-century modern cocktail table by Harvey Probber. During the interior design process, Dakota Johnson had help from Emily Ward, co-founder of design company Pierce & Ward. They two became friends and used a variety of mood boards and chose fabrics together.
However, Dakota Johnson isn’t the only celebrity who fell in love with mid-century modern furniture. Famous musicians, like Frank Ocean or Lenny Kravitz, proudly present their appreciation for designer pieces in public as well. In autumn of 2019, Frank Ocean posted a picture of him stretched out on a “Dune Sofa” designed by Pierre Paulin. Many Magazines like GQ reshared Ocean’s picture and thus, the post quickly became viral. The iconic “Dune Sofa” consists of four different elements, and when they are joined together, the sofa resembles a giant desert of pillows.
Pierre Paulin designed the Dune Sofa back in the 1970’s; obviously not knowing that in the 21st century, his Dune Sofa would become viral on social media. The creative work by Pierre Paulin often combines the look of Japanese and Scandinavian design with the functional touch of American furniture produced in the mid-century modern era.
While Frank Ocean appears to show a more discreet way of furnishing his own four walls, Lenny Kravitz, on the other hand, seems to take it to the next level when it comes to combining “the old with the new” in the interior of his Brazilian farm house. His living room area, for example, is decorated with murals by artist Chris Wyrick and furnished with a collection of black leather Togo sofas designed by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset.
The redwood table by Todd Merill Studio with an antique pewter candelabra atop is surrounded by beige swivel lounge chairs, which date back to the 1960s. During a house tour filmed by Architectural Digest, Kravitz describes how his life has changed since he bought the farm – offering him a peaceful space for pure relaxation.
Another famous personality, who seems to have had a life-changing “aha” moment thanks to the encounter with mid-century modern design, is L.A. born rapper Ice Cube. During a video shot by Pacific Standard Time for an exhibition on art in L.A. from 1945 – 1980, Ice Cubes describes how he fell in love with the designs by Ray and Charles Eames. Before becoming a rapper, Ice Cube studied architectural drafting and came across the work of the iconic Eames couple confessing that “Back then, I didn’t know I was going to make money. So being that they [Ray and Charles Eames] put together a house in two days and used discarded materials — something about their style caught on. As I got older, I could equate it to sampling. I see that’s what we were doing, taking discarded records from the ’60s and ’70s and resampling them. Killer.”
Above are just a few examples of celebrities openly discussing their love for design dating from the 1950s to the 1970s. The appreciation, which mid-century modern design and style receives nowadays, is quite striking and interesting at the same time – lending weight to the belief that it is indeed a timeless trend.
BLOG SOURCES:
https://sunshineanddesign.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/rapper-ice-cub-loves-mid-century-modern/
https://travelnoire.com/lenny-kravitz-brazilian-farm
PHOTOS & VIDEOS:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/step-inside-dakota-johnsons-midcentury-modern-home
https://www.instagram.com/p/CcbPJnWP3ca/
https://www.nytimes.com/video/garden/100000001212916/ice-cube-celebrates-the-eames-house.html