How do you identify Mid Century Furniture

Mid Century Modern furniture or MCM , is mainly characterized by clean lines, open sides, gentle curves and classic/organic shapes. This style originated mid-20th century—hence its name— but thanks to its elegant simplicity and timeless aesthetic, Mid-Century Modern furniture is still highly popular in contemporary interior design.

Mid century furniture is often crafted from solid woods, notably teak, elm, beech, walnut and rosewood being this last one a rare to find. Something that i like about mid-century modern furniture pieces is that they go with absolutely everything , and the shapes of them are timeless and will never be outdated, that vintage piece that you find will be a statement through time!

Is MCM furniture solid wood?

This is a question that I get very often from clients , It seems that people here in Canada has the believe that high-quality furniture most be heavy and made of solid wood. And it is a common knowledge that Danish Mid Century Modern furniture is high quality.

This is a common misconception, fuelled even more with sellers on popular classifieds as Kijiji or Market place claiming their MCM furniture is made of solid wood like teak, rosewood or walnut. And i have to tell you that almost all high-end MCM furniture is made with teak or rosewood veneer placed over less expensive wood like pine or plywood or particle board. Most mid-century Danish teak furniture which still exists today is made with veneer surfaces on plywood, secured with solid wood edges and frames. A true testament to the quality of well-made veneered furniture; I remember having a client coming to our show home, that didn't want to buy a Made in Denmark Teak dresser with authenticity seals, only because it was not heavy al all, I can tell you that he lost a good opportunity to own a valuable piece.

It becomes very important to learn the difference between quality wood veneer and a cheap laminate or MDF surface. Remember that as of today , in the 50's and 60's also existed non quality built pieces .