While browsing the stacks of my nearby library I ran across this miss-shelved book.

I love me a pretty cover.  I know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but chances are if it isn’t pretty I’m not going to pull it from the shelf to read its description (unless one of you readers have told me fabulous things about an ugly covered book, I love recommendations!).  So I brought this piece of eye candy home with me.

And what a lovely slice of wonder bread reading it was.  If you’ve been following the trends in furniture lately (which I only sorta have) you’ll know that “Mid Century Modern” is making a comeback.  The whole “form follows function” mantra of design from the ’50’s is hitting again (did IKEA ever stray from this design theory?).  I learned some new foreign words regarding these esthetics- Bauhaus and Mondrain.  Bauhaus was a school of thought regarding design- it gave rise first in Germany following WWI, but didn’t gain popularity here in the US until after WWII.  Their main idea was to bring back design and funtion in its purest form- not superfulous detials.  Mondrain was an artist whose work inspired color and design in the “modern 1950’s”.  However, I do not remember touching on this man at all in my college Art History classes…all the craming I did in that class, I would remember!

The book was a quick read full of fantastic illustrations/Ads from the day.  I enjoyed it and feel that I was given an enlightening- albiet brief, view of white suburban middle class life and style of the 1950’s.  Check it out if you happen to find it laying around your library!

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