The Oddball And Unique Appeal To Collectors

Modern and mid-century modern furniture, lighting, art and accessories continue to be the story in interior design and on the auction market scene.

Flip through any design magazine and you’ll find at least half the featured homes prominently include mid-century furniture pieces. Turn on “The Daily Show” and the guests are sitting in classic Knoll office chairs. When you dine out, chances are, you’ll be seated in a chair that was designed in the 1950s — whether it’s Eames, Bertoia or Saarinen. (There’s even been an Eames postage stamp!) However, when you are visiting a shop or online retailer looking at things, you’ll see dozens of pieces labeled with the design buzz words “mid-century” or “modern” despite the fact that there’s nothing particularly mid-century modern about them. In the past decade, the terms modern and mid-century modern have become less a term defining a specific design period and more a sales and marketing phrase.

I’ll be the first to admit defining mid-century design can be difficult, but broadly speaking it applies to and describes architecture, furniture, etc. from roughly 1930 to 1965. Some would object to this broad time frame and prefer to define the period from 1947 to 1967. Regardless of timespan, there are many variations in modernism. Although modern is usually defined as functional and streamlined, some designers in the 1940s and 1950s created art pieces. They decorated furniture with painted mirrors and inlaid classic designs and used exotic skins and/or lacquers to add whimsy and beauty to their furniture. This was a particular trend among designers who became known as the modern regency or Hollywood Regency crowd. Among them: Gio Ponti, Kenneth DiPaola, Umberto Mascagni and Piero Fornasetti.

Works by these designers really make a statement in that they are often one-of-a-kind pieces and they are very difficult to reproduce and too expensive to copy for mass trade. As the proliferation of mass-produced copies of modern furniture continues, it will be more and more difficult to ascertain what is original and what is a copy. Therefore, I believe in the unusual, the unexpected and the quirky designs that typify these hard-to-find pieces. Sometimes, it’s hard to image how to place or how to use this type of furniture in the modern house.

I found a nice collection of this subgenre of mid-century modern at a Shelter Island gallery and design studio recently. Fredric Bernstein presents an eclectic mix of modern, mid-century and contemporary in his beautifully appointed space.

One way to see and experience furniture styles is in a setting like the one Mr. Bernstein has put together: vignettes and items grouped as they might be in one’s home. In addition, he represents the wonderfully talented Stephanie Odegard’s collection of rugs and carpets. She, like her design forerunners, use vegetable dyes and natural materials like wool and silk. Much of the wool is from the Himalayas. Subtle but powerful statements of creativity and quality. They enhance the whole experience of the collection of furniture and objects that Mr. Bernstein showcases. I’m not sure who said “a rug is the heart of any room” but they were certainly right. Odegard rugs consistently win design awards and are used by the top interior designers and architects. I couldn’t believe how beautiful (I hesitate to use the word stunning) the collection being shown at Mr. Bernstein’s gallery was. Actually, the carpets are more like fine art for the floor. Mr. Bernstein tells me he is soon to have Edward Fields rugs as well, which will further his offerings in the rug and carpet department.

It’s always important to remember that furniture and artwork end up in rooms of your house or office. Therefore, they need an anchor like a good rug. In the gallery setting, Mr. Bernstein puts together unusual combinations — always a bit whimsical and always alluring. I’m not putting down Eames chairs or any other modernist, but I think the value in the oddball, the one-of-a-kind, the quirky, is exactly what collectors look for, assuming that the quality and workmanship are top-notch and the woods, inlays and hand painting are well done. Plus, presence. Any object in order to achieve iconic status must have some kind of presence; in other words, you notice when you see it. These are the pieces with age or contemporary that are the collectible antiques of the future. They subscribe to all the criteria of collectability and are perhaps just a little more individualistic than buying another Breuer chair. In any case, a trip on the ferry to Shelter Island, a little lunch and a visit to Fredric Bernstein Design’s showroom and studio is well worth the trip.