X

New again

Midcentury modern gets an updated look

Mary Jo Bowling,

SLEEPER SOFA
Midcentury Scandinavian style with modern slipcover. $2,600. Design: Niels Bendtsen, Propeller, San Francisco ( www.propeller-sf.com or 415/701-7767).

ECHO PILLOWS
Retro design. $120. Design: Max and Linda Geiser, Fold Bedding, El Cerrito, CA ( www.foldbedding.com or 510/232-5018)

The streamlined look of midcentury modern has been back in style for a few years, but now home-furnishing and accessory designers are taking the next step: They’re using the era’s lightweight materials and simple shapes, updating them with today’s colors and technologies. In some cases, they’re updating classic designs too. The Yolanda chair, for example, is a fresh take on Charles and Ray Eames’s iconic bent-plywood chair. And the Echo pillows employ the same textural wool fabric, but the toned-down graphic designs are made by intricately piecing together the fabric.

YOLANDA CHAIR
Bamboo veneer. $500. Design: Gerard Minakawa, Propeller, San Francisco ( www.propeller-sf.com or 415/701-7767)

BULLET PLANT STAND
Once ubiquitous, it’s back in contemporary colors. $110-$130. Design: Beeline, San Francisco (415/255-6700)

TIERED LAMPSHADE
Fiberglass and polymer resin in updated colors and patterns. $39-$95. Design: Robert Fine, Meteor Lights, San Francisco ( www.meteorlights.com or 415/255-6700)

BOX TABLE
Plywood and laminates. $220. Design: Nathan Hartman, Kerf Design, Seattle ( www.kerfdesign.com or 206/954-8677)