RickyThe mid-century modern furniture trend is once again a style that simply will not go away. Why? It just looks so very cool! Many contemporary furniture collections sold by big retailers today are inspired by the styling and key features of mid-century modern furniture makers back in the 1950s and 60s.
Just look at at the beautiful Madison development in Wembley Park with it’s incredibly stylish mid-century modern styling. It oozes style and looks amazing.
The term ‘mid-century’ refers to furniture developed in the 1930s and inspired by the designs of that era, the ‘mid-century modern’ trend was born after WWII in the late 1945s up until around the 1960s.
As you’re reading this post, I can already tell that you’re a fan of the mid-century modern style. I’ve always had my eye on this style and how it’s inspired by many Scandinavian pieces of furniture with clean lines and simple shapes which I love.
When I was renovating my house (which you can view the before pictures here) I found a single G-Plan side table which belonged to my Grandparents. After doing a little bit of research on G-Plan in general, I found out they manufactured this piece of furniture 10 minutes down the road from me. Plus, looking at the other furniture pieces in their collections I fell in love. That set my fate of finding some decent mid-century modern furniture pieces for my home.
Where to find original mid-century modern furniture
First things first, you need to have an idea of what you’re searching for. Research the names of a few mid-century furniture brands you like the look of. There were many UK-based manufacturers such as G-Plan, McIntosh, Younger, Dalescraft, Nathan and many more.
You could also have a look at some of the Danish and Scandinavian mid-century furniture brands which were and still are very popular. In my experience, these brands tend to be a bit pricier, but not always. You can oftentimes find a bargain.
Wembley Park Antiques Market
One of the best places to go is a furniture market specialising in mid-century furniture. If you’re in the London area, you must visit Wembley Park Antiques Market.
I had the pleasure of visiting the market in October to have a look around at some of the stallholders. With so many on offer, I recommend grabbing a coffee and going for a wander with an open mind. I came across Retro Central with some beautiful mid-century pieces. They had some very nice G-Plan pieces which I fell in love with but seriously have no space for.
There’s a great variety of stallholders at the market and all are very friendly with plenty of experience in what they’re selling. It’s always fascinating speaking about the history of an item with someone with such a passion for finding these amazing homeware pieces.
The Wembley Park Antiques Market takes place every last Wednesday of the month. It’s free entry and can be found at Canada Lane, Canada Gardens, First Way, HA9 0SJ
For further information, confirmed dates and timings, visit the website: wembleyantiquesmarket.co.uk
eBay and Facebook Marketplace
The majority of my mid-century modern furniture was purchased through eBay. It was always my first go-to place for a browse. I had a few saved searches already set up for mid-century sideboards/dining tables etc. Some with the brands I like and some fairly basic keyword terms like ’60s wooden dining table’.
Using some fairly vague search terms increased my chance of finding a mid-century piece. Not everyone knows exactly what they’re selling on eBay, they just want to get rid of it. This is where I found my dining table for an incredible price and then my set of six dining chairs. In total, my six-seater extending dining table and chairs cost £61 (not including re-upholstering).
Facebook Marketplace is another good place for searching for mid-century modern furniture. I haven’t always been that successful on it. However, furniture is abundant there which if you’re quick, you can get for a great price. I’m always having a browse every week to see what people are selling locally to me, not that I need anything else!
This is also another good place to use very vague search terms. If a manufacturer stamp has worn away, or a sticker is missing, the seller may not know exactly who the manufacturer is. If you know the look and can match it with a brand you know of, it may be worth taking a look in person to see if it’s the real deal.
Antique Stores and Furniture Charity shops
It’s wholly possible to find mid-century modern furniture in antique stores. However, I’ve always found it fairly difficult for me in my local area. Many specialise in more actual antiques, pre the mid-century era. But if you have one local, it’s well worth the look.
I’ve visited so many charity furniture shops over the past two years trying to find good furniture. I’ve never purchased anything from them myself, but you can find the odd decent-quality piece of furniture which can be ideal. My favourite is Barnet Furniture Centre in North London. They always have a good collection of second-hand furniture and really good bargains.
Car Boot Sales
Another great place to find mid-century homeware and maybe some furniture is of course car boot sales. Yes, they can be filled with random stuff people simply do not want. But on the odd occasion, it is possible to discover a total gem you’ve been looking for.
If you’ve done your research and can remember the look and style of some mid-century pieces you like, you will be able to easily spot something whilst you’re browsing. You may even get very lucky and get something at an absolute steal of a price.
Oftentimes, people may now know the real value of an item and simply want to get rid of it quickly – this is exactly the kind of situation you want to find yourself in.
Ricky
