Are the ’80s the Next Mid-Century?

’80s furniture meets today’s style; Photo by David Allee

Today we travel back in time, but not to the ’80s… Our date of choice is May 13, 2007, when the New York Magazine published an article titled “The Next Mid-Century.” Guess which decade was the focus? You got it–the decade of decadence! In the article, writer David Colman discussed ’80s designers/decorators like Karl Springer, Angelo Donghia, Charles Hollis Jones and Michael Taylor. In fact, these designers often had pieces custom-made for their clients.  And yes, it’s still out there, ready to be collected by a new set of design enthusiasts!

In the image at the top of the post, taken from the above-mentioned New York Magazine article, we see the living room of New York furniture dealer Evan Lobel, who loves spotlighting the late ’70s and 1980s. Lobel claims, “There’s a certain decadence to that era that I find really appealing. The scale tends to be large, and the materials tend to be luxe and rich, which makes the pieces themselves larger than life.” OK, so how haven’t we blogged about this man until today?! Above we see a 1980s travertine coffee table, which perfectly showcase a chrysocolla specimen from Astro Gallery.

In fact, the aqua mineral specimen combined with the brown sofa (shown below) reminds us of a living room with a similar aesthetic, recently profiled in a Mirror80 post spotlighting M. Design Interiors. Speaking of sofas…

An ’80s-style couch holds two perfectly “chopped” pillows; Photo by David Allee

The sofa above is a new piece by Christian Liaigre, but it definitely has a 1980s feel. Add a couple of pillows strategically dented at the top in a feature called “the chop” (made famous by Michael Taylor), and you have a true ’80s-style piece. In the background we see a glass and Lucite dining table by Charles Hollis Jones, surrounded by Angelo Donghia dining chairs. Now on to the kitchen…

A modern kitchen featuring ’80s Lucite bar stools; Photo by David Allee

In the image above, we see another stellar room from Evan Lobel’s Union Square apartment. The kitchen features four 1980s bar stools. The bases are Lucite, while the seating is white ultrasuede. I think the room needs another floral arrangement… Actually, I’m just jealous. Seriously.

For more pictures of Evan Lobel’s amazing ’80s-style apartment, check out David Colman’s New York Times article. If you live in New York City and are in the market for some unforgettable ’80s furniture finds, visit Lobel’s Bond Street store. And stay tuned for more interior design fun this week as Mirror80 profiles some key ’80s designers.

Do you think the ’80s are the next Mid-Century? We do, which is why we created an ’80s take on Mad Men titled Rad Men. Wouldn’t the ’80s version of Don Draper live in a space just like Evan Lobel’s ’80s-fabulous apartment?!

Happy Monday!