Contemporary

This book is the first to explore fully the so-called ‘Contemporary’ style that dominated architecture and design from the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. It was an era of optimism and confidence, where new ideas in architecture and design flourished alongside the emergent consumer culture. Mainly emanating from the USA, the ‘Contemporary’ style was fresh and liberating, manifesting itself in the picture window and the open plan; in new forms of furniture from Scandinavia and stylish light fittings from Italy; and most tellingly in the ‘Contemporary’ kitchen with its fitted units and ‘mod con’ appliances. The book examines the fresh and liberated design ideas of this buoyant era.