Furniture design: Everything old is new again and the rise in

prices tells the story

After Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau, Craftsman, Art Deco and

Federalist revival styles, designers sought to find the essential

quality in their pieces. They pared down color and form, creating the

“minimalist” style, known as Mid-Century Modern. Those pieces are now

among the most highly regarded and are among the hottest sellers at

auctions and antique stores.The look is simple geometrics, soft

curves and light woods; the absence of anything superfluous.The most

famous names from the movement are Charles and Ray Eames, a

husband/wife team who designed everything from buildings to toys.

While the Eameses were prolific designers, collectors also seek

pieces by Isamu Noguchi, Marcel Breuer and George Nelson. Each had an

original style, and their pieces all blend to define the Mid-Century

Modern school. A Noguchi sofa -a kidney-shaped foam seat with a

simple rectangular back, covered with a solid-colored fabric -is a

masterpiece of understated artistry. Breuer’s fabulous Wassily chair,

with its tubular frame of chromed steel and leather slat seat and

back, is a fixture in the Museum of Modern Art. The famous backless

bench by Nelson, a minimalist classic designed for the Herman Miller

Company, incorporates simple wooden slats on bentwood legs. Procuring

a furniture piece by Noguchi or Breuer can set a collector back

thousands of dollars; however, ceramic bowls and vases in the Danish

modern style by artists like Herbert Krenchel, Stig Lindberg or Arne

Bang. Sconce and table lamps in conical shapes and in metals such as

brushed aluminum also reflect the style. If this style suits your

taste, act now.