19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Interior Designer Gives Thumbs Down, Oct 18 2007
By EternalSeeker - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style (Paperback)
This book is not helpful for people serious about getting into the Fifties' look. Maybe OK for those who view it as a fad and have lots of money to spend on repros and authentic pieces at high end antique shops. It gives very little sense of real Fifties decorating and "look"; replaces stylistic information with a lot of weird photography angles; and is depressingly short of useful ideas. If you want to intersperse one or two 50s pieces in an otherwise contempory decor, this book might be helpful. I found it pitifully inadequate.
For serious Fifties afficinados or those who want genuine inspiration, I suggest instead 'Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes', by Michelle Gringeri-Brown, Gibbs Smith, Publisher, Layton, Utah, 2006.
Or 'Eichler: Modernism Rebuids the American Dream'.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent reference on modern retro style, Mar 7 2010
By Lee Roberson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style (Paperback)
I feel the other two reviews of this book on Amazon as of March, 2010 are inaccurate and unfair to this book, so I wanted to give it a very positive review and provide the potential reader with more information on this title. First, this book is not a treatise on pure 1950's design, and it doesn't claim to be. The jacket of the book spells out what this volume is about very clearly: "Modern Retro will inspire you to create a stylish, individual home that combines modern classics with thrift-store finds and the best of contemporary design."
Additionally, the inside jacket tells the reader this: "Modern Retro is not about slavishly recreating a period feel. Instead, it shows how to take the best designs of the 1920's through to the 1970's and use them in your home in a relaxed and individual way. Past and present can sit stylishly together - a 1930's Aalto stacking stool with Eames chairs from the 1950's, a modern chain-store sofa with a 1970's glass top table - allowing you to make the most of the gloriously eclectic forms, colors, and patterns available." The book definitely succeeds in its mission.
There are loads of excellent color photos with all the midcentury icons you could ask for - Eames surfboard cocktail tables, Bertoia diamond chairs, Nelson coconut chairs, Saarinen tulip tables, Kagan sofas, and on and on. And no, the book is not loaded with photos taken at weird angles, certainly no more than any other design book you would pick up. The book gives a solid overview of the evolution of modern design, touching on developments in each decade from the 1920's through the 1970's. There are then chapters on furniture, lighting, ceramics, accessories, kitchens, bathrooms, and much more. Finally, there is a list of references of manufacturers, stores, websites, and designers.
The two authors are from the UK, so there is an inclusion of a bit more European design and collectible furniture than a typical issue of Atomic Ranch might feature. For example Robin and Lucienne Day, sort of the British Charles and Ray Eames, are discussed. But this is a good thing, as it sets this book apart from your typical American-centric midcentury design book. I picked up lots of ideas from this book and give it a sold 4 1/2 stars, definitely worth including in your midcentury/modern/retro/atomic design collection or as a coffee table book displayed on your snazzy looking, boomerang-shaped cocktail table.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Underwhelming, Jun 23 2009
By Warren Mallett - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style (Paperback)
Not specific to the subject matter despite the title suggesting otherwise.
Get Atomic Ranch it is far superior.