Mid Century or 50s? (Second hand or Vintage)

[ShadowMane]

Why has "the fifties" morphed in to "Mid Century?"

Mid Century sounds nicer, maybe thats it, I dont like like it

is it like the difference between Second hand and Vintage?

Mid century (modern) is a term for a specific style that went from about 1950-1970. Lots of stuff from the 50's wouldn't come under this category.

Not sure why it bothers you?!

They're different styles from a similar time period.

A comparison would be between '70s fashion' and 'Punk fashion' - punk can be from the 70s, but doesn't have to be, 70s clothes can be punk, but can also be Hippie/Boho, Disco, Glam, Safari, Sporty, Peasant/Folk, etc, etc.

@MitziK

They're different styles from a similar time period.

A comparison would be between '70s fashion' and 'Punk fashion' - punk can be from the 70s, but doesn't have to be, 70s clothes can be punk, but can also be Hippie/Boho, Disco, Glam, Safari, Sporty, Peasant/Folk, etc, etc.

I get that, but punk hippy etc are specific (and you can visualise what they are) - but what is mid-century, i cant visualise it

I think i thought it was pretentious, like the 'its vintage not second hand'

OP, regarding the vintage/second hand scenario, I think that something could be old but unused, whereas second hand denotes a previous owner.

Also, vintage is generally something which is decades old, but second hand could be something you bought yesterday, but are selling on.

50s is 70 years old! I think that’s old enough to be vintage, not second hand. Second hand implies an item that doesn’t have to be particularly old - last model iPhone maybe!

How you caught up with fashion depended on, where you lived, your income, your peer group, parents etc. When you see concerts of the beatles, many were in 50's fashion.

Some didn't ever wear mini skirts, for some it was the late 60's/early 70's.

My Mum didn't really do 60's style, just colours, because 50's were more practical to dance in. WC wouldn't buy new furniture and decorate more than once every 5/10 years.

@Ellisandra

50s is 70 years old! I think that’s old enough to be vintage, not second hand. Second hand implies an item that doesn’t have to be particularly old - last model iPhone maybe!

i was talking about the wording.... ie mid century or 1950s, second hand or vintage

It’s a very specific design and period. Look up Eames, frank Lloyd Wright and Jacobsen etc... you’ll see the style of furniture and housing that is recognised as mid century modern

It doesn’t mean ‘old’ or ‘vintage’. It’s a style like rococo or art nouveau.

Here’s an example - the American diner style and the Danish MCM interior are from roughly the same time period, but very different styles.

So you wouldnt say "mid century' for the diner, but you would for the Danish one?

@Glowcat i know it doesnt mean old or vintage, i was talking about the wording

Art Deco as a comparison makes sense

So you wouldnt say "mid century' for the diner, but you would for the Danish one?

Yes.

It's exactly like Art Deco. The term just happens to include (roughly) the date. Midcentury modern, Art Deco, Baroque. etc. All particular styles from a particular period.

So if someone's referring to a piece of furniture as 'Midcentury' or 'midcentury modern' they don't just mean it was made in the 1950-60s, they mean it's in that particular style.

Just seen this on another site, would you say this is mid century?

I love Mid Century Modern.
A lot of the architecture in early Bond film could be described like this. Also the Incredibles house is v.Mid Century Modern. I'm committing sin by coveting a cartoon lady's interior decoration

I think those bags are mid century in that they are very much in a 1960s style but aren't Mid Century modern, they're not 'clean' enough, IYKWIM.

I get your annoyance though. It's like upcycling, some is incredible, but it's very, very subjective to personal taste and quite often it's just chucking some paint at an old chest of drawers and slapping £50 on the price.

WC wouldn't buy new furniture and decorate more than once every 5/10 years.

That often?
We only buy new furniture when we need it. A lot of what we have is second hand. None of our furniture currently is younger than 10 years, although we're about to buy ds a bed as he's outgrown his current one. The youngest currently is the dining room chairs we bought when we moved in-12 years ago.
Decoration. Most of the rooms had been freshly decorated when we moved in.
I repainted ds' room 8 years ago, along with the downstairs toilet (who paints the walls pink when the toilet is 70s blue?), and the kitchen diner was repainted 10 years ago when we extended the dining room, and the study (which was the previous kitchen) was redecorated then for obvious reasons.
Yes, we're quite careful, and yes, I've done occasional touch ups, but most of the rooms are fine.

To me mid-century refers to furniture.

we've just bought a new cover for our 15 year old futon, the last thing we bought new was about 15 years ago too. Most of our stuff is market place/free cycle (not including electricals)

Mid century, I suppose, covers a slightly longer period than just the 50s. I am mid century. When I was a child in the 50s my parents bought, at great expense, a g plan dining table. When they died I re-discovered this table, unloved and ignored under piles of stuff in a spare room. It has the most amazing extending mechanism, which still works perfectly (the centre piece of the table rises up from beneath and slots in place). It is now in my kitchen diner and is, apparently, a sought after 50s table. I am just happy to still be eating at a table, at the age of 65, that I ate at in my high chair all those years ago.