Modernist Index Archives

Formica + Function

November 10, 2023
Written By Ian McMaster and Photo courtesy of Getty Images

historical image of woman in mid century kitchen with Formica counters and matching cabinets

How Formica, a laminated plastic company, influenced an era of kitchen design. The kitchy 1950s kitchen is characterized by the mixing of candy-colored surfaces and futuristic materials. Mint, pink, turquoise,…

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Walter Gropius: Visionary Founder of Bauhaus

November 1, 2023
Written by Kye Cardinalis and Featured image by Manfred Brückels

If there is one name that comes up time and again when we are exploring the history of modernist architecture, it is Walter Gropius, the founder of Bauhaus. Many famous…

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Modernist Index

Jens Quistgaard: Bringing Scandinavian Modern Design to American Kitchens

October 28, 2023
Written by Kye Cardinalis and Featured images courtesy of The New York Times, Jim Brown, Wikimedia Commons

While you are shopping for cookware and cutlery for your Mid Century Modern kitchen or stocking up on MCM entertaining essentials, you may come across designs by Jens Quistgaard. This…

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William Rupp: Sarasota School Hidden Gem

September 30, 2023
Written by Kye Cardinalis and Featured image by Architecttype

As a Mid Century Modern aficionado, you probably are familiar with the Sarasota School of Architecture, which sprang up in Sarasota, Florida. This is the school that gave us the…

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Congresso Brasilia designed by Oscar Niemeyer

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Brazilian Modernism: Architecture, Furniture and Decor

September 22, 2023
Written by Jolene Nolte and Featured image photography by DlauriniJr/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

Modernism was a global movement, and Brazilian Modernism took shape in a particularly Brazilian form. Like Modernism in the US and Europe, Brazilian Modernism grew from similar instincts to create…

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The symmetrical Geisel library with large concrete beams and many glass windows in the day time.

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Brutalist Architecture 101

August 17, 2023
Written by Hannah Strandberg

Brutalism has resulted in some of the most heated architectural debates in history. It often appears intrusive and intimidating, but a closer look at the fine print may help us understand these mysterious buildings.

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John Yeon: The Spirit of Place as Form

August 4, 2023
Written by Kye Cardinalis

Summing up the career of the innovator John Yeon in one word would be impossible. Architect? Landscaper? Conservationist? Activist? John Yeon was all of the above, and more. He was…

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McDowell Adult Education Center exterior

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Modernist Index

The Contextual Architecture of John Carl Warnecke

July 22, 2023
Written by Kye Cardinalis and Featured image by Greg Hume

During the mid century period, architect John Carl Warnecke became known not just for his buildings, but for his connection to the Kennedys. Still, the word we most often see…

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university of arkansas cantilever home prefab

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We Can’t Get Enough Of Cantilevers

June 28, 2023
Written by Rabekah Henderson

Even if you don’t know what a cantilever actually is, you’ve almost definitely seen one. You’ll recognize the style from museums like the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art to…

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