From the Lookbook StyleFile: Mid-Century Modern

With affecting architecture, spacious interiors, and unique graphic design, mid-century modern was the epitome of progressive design during the post-World War II movement. These homes are demonstrations of leisure and champion a connection to nature, and are all about openness and optimism. Explore the highlights in this StyleFile video from Leverage Lookbook:

Midcentury homes were exemplars of leisure rather than ornate barometers of money and taste, and championed a connection to nature. They were characterized by flat roofs, clean orthogonal lines, open floor plans, spare details, and wall upon wall of glass. Materials were humble: concrete, steel, aluminum, plywood. They had nothing to hide and spread out horizontally, as if lounging in the landscape, their very forms telegraphing laid-back living. Egalitarian, even Utopian, they were intended for mass consumption, so affordability and efficiency were virtues.

Furniture showcased mass-production methods and leaner silhouettes, announcing a new peacetime productivity and hopefulness. As we neared the space age-launched with Sputnik in 1957-forms became amoebic and futuristic: boomerangs, kidney shapes, parabolas, and flyiing saucers. And products for the home swapped decorative flourish for practicality, function, and convenience.

Still modern and relevant today, the original homes that remain- many of them built in California as part of the Case Study House program-are still highly coveted pieces of real estate, while, when it comes to furnishings, everything from starburst mirrors to classic Eames chairs feel as fresh and contemporary as they did during the times of their original launches

View Leverage Lookbook StyleFile: Mid-Century Modern.