Welcome to Mid-Century-Living, dedicated to all aspects of life between 1945 and 1969: motoring, architecture, furniture, technology and design.

‘Mid-Century Modern’ is a term that originated in the United States. It describes the dominant design characteristics of the post war period up to around 1970, a period where there was a clear change towards a more ‘modern’ style. This change was driven by optimism and a desire to ‘build a better world’ after the suffering and deprivations of World War II, which together with advances in materials and manufacturing and rising global affluence opened-up completely new possibilities for designers, stylists and architects.

The term ‘Mid-Century Modern’ is very broad. Many British architects at the time used the term ‘New Humanism’, which I rather like, and I think characterises the more modest mid-century style that evolved in the UK, combining elements from British history with modern US, Scandinavian and international influences.

In the UK in the 1950’s this new style was known as the Festival style, named after the influential Festival of Britain held in 1951. Festival Style was dominant in Britain through the 1950’s and can be seen in many public buildings and period furniture, combining simplicity with playful elements of colour and ornamentation. Two of the best examples of Festival Style are:

Central Parade, Hoe Street, Walthamstow, designed in 1954 by F. G. Southgate, the borough surveyor, and built between 1957 and 1958 [above], and Christ Church, Cheylesmore, Coventry, designed by Alfred H. Gardner in 1953 and built between 1956 and 1958. It was listed in 1998 and the listing was recently raised to Grade II* [interior, below].

Festival style evolved through the 1950’s into the 1960’s to lose much of its playfulness becoming a more ‘international’ style, and evolved further to the Brutalism of the 1960’s and 1970’s.

This site and YouTube channel covers the period 1945-1969 mainly from a British perspective because that’s where we live, but also because it’s less well represented in most mid century discussions. As a pro-European Brit, working for an American company and with a Japanese wife, we’ll include themes from across the world to place ‘British New Humanism’ in context.

We live in a British Mid-Century house, we own two 1960’s cars (British and Italian), and we collect and use Mid-Century furniture and hi-fi. The house is slowly being restored as we reinstate mid-century features, and I’m slowly restoring the cars and other items. All of this will be covered here.