Brochure featuring Harvest Leather pattern
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The 1960s encompassed two very different styles of design. Until the mid-decade, design was pretty much a continuation of 1950s styles. American designers working in Michigan, where a good deal of furniture was made, and California, where there was a housing boom in full swing, dominated the scene.
Names such as Ray and Charles Eames, Paul McCobb, Eero Saarinen and George Nelson appeared like celebrity monikers. Joyful new forms, like Isamu Noguchi’s boomerang shaped table and the paired down look which was imported from Scandinavia were most common. Color television was introduced in 1965 and with it viewers were exposed to exotic cultures in faraway places. Spanish Colonial became a hot décor theme which lasted into the early 1970s. Moroccan was another. Both cultures used bold, rich colors and distinctive, ornate patterns.
But these new inspirations were not the only influence. Youth rebellion, Pop and Op art and the attraction of space exploration were others. This era gave rise to radical new shapes made entirely of synthetic materials. Several 60s icons were also introduced - the bean bag chair, the inflatable chair and the rise of the Italian superstar designer.
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