Contemporary: Architecture and Interiors of the 1950s

This Contemporary book is the first to explore fully the so-called 'contemporary' style that dominated architecture and design from the late 1940s to the end of the 1950s and includes pieces by Robin & Lucienne Day. It was an era of optimism and confidence, where new ideas in architecture and design flourished alongside the emergent consumer culture.

Emanating mainly 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. This book examines the fresh and liberated design ideas of this buoyant era with an acute eye and open mind.

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Authors Biography

Lesley Jackson is an independent writer and curator specializing in 20th century design. She is the author of many highly-acclaimed books on post-war design, including The New Look: Design in the Fifties (1991), ‘Contemporary’Architecture and Interiors of the 1950s (1994) and The Sixties: Decade of Design Revolution (1998). An expert on modern textiles, her recent books include 20th Century Pattern Design: Textile & Wallpaper Pioneers (2002), From Atoms to Patterns: Crystal Structure Designs from the 1951 Festival of Britain (2007) and Shirley Craven and Hull Traders: Revolutionary Fabrics and Furniture 1957-1980 (2009). In 2001 she curated the major exhibition Robin and Lucienne Day: Pioneers of Contemporary Design, held at the Barbican Art Gallery, London.

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