Mid Century Multifunction

In a silent 1916 short film called One A.M., Charlie Chaplin turns a Murphy 'in-a-door' bed into a hilarious sketch, set to music. First named 'The Disappearing Bed' by its inventor William Murphy and patented in 1911, with the advertising line 'the room that serves a double purpose', Chaplin goes into combat with this mechanical contraption, as he drunkenly presses the control buttons and it pins him down, flips him over, and tosses him into the closet. The design wasn't the first of its kind – there's a 'Piano Bed' in Brooklyn Museum from 1885! – but it's the one that captured the public's imagination, and endures as a concept and name today.

Fast forward to 2024, and Mid Century Friends, a shop in Neuss, Germany, is publishing videos on Instagram like micro theatre sketches set to music, which also have a silent-movie quirky spirit, (though this time the actors are firmly in control of their multifunctional furniture). Showing everyday activities like reading a magazine, relaxing with a drink, or sitting with a friend, and sometimes with little time lapses to demonstrate the different configurations throughout the day, these posts show off the furniture's transformations with captions like, 'How many options does this offer you? Many.' Even though these pieces – which are mainly sourced from house clearances before being restored and occasionally modified¹ – are often 60-70 years old and designed for a very different era, the likes and replies are quick and passionate.

One explanation is that these mid-century pieces, in spite of their age, still exude the optimism of post-war modernity, with its quality craftsmanship and industrial processes. Nostalgia certainly plays a part, as the boomers think back to their childhoods, and younger generations are drawn to the clean lines, organic shapes, space-age plastics and tactile woods or wood veneers (in teak and rosewood) that are the perfect complements to vinyl records and vintage or archival fashion. It's a sustainable choice, and a world away from the flat-pack. It's also an aesthetic that works well with the simple lines of our sleekly designed modern technologies, and the profusion of plants that now fill our homes.

Johanna Gördemann, owner of Mid Century Friends with her husband Sven Hilbich, explains the difference between post-war Europe and the booming US, where people could 'truly enjoy' the mid-century aesthetics and inventions of Charles and Ray Eames, Florence Knoll, George Nelson and the like²:

Europe had to rebuild itself. People were living in small spaces with little money and the over- whelming but promising task to restart their lives. There was a corresponding need for design that could fulfil that promise, a piece of furniture that addressed the need for sleep, work, education and social interaction.

For example, a closet being not only a storage for clothes but a desk… a hidden bar cabinet, and a modular day-bed. And maybe there was some kind of safety thinking left from the war… just in case there was (again) the need to es-cape, you had everything with you, united injust a very few pieces.”

The Bauhaus influence was strong, and the emphasis was on the social responsibility of designers and manufacturers to improve people's lives through good design, and affordable products:

"If you compare both regions (US and Europe) you can clearly observe how furniture is very much tied to societal change and social needs/desires. In Europe, especially Germany, there was a high demand for convertible and multifunctional furniture. For example, bar cabinets that not only stored bottles and glasses but also books and magazines. This changed in the 1960s. From this period on, you will mostly find convertible furniture that addresses the desire for social interaction, like extendable dining-tables or convertible sofas. The existential need to rebuild a life was replaced by the wish for social embeddedness and exchange."

This social aspect is vital in small live–work apartments today, where it's easy to feel too restricted for guests. But if, with just one portion of floor-space, a table can be turned into a drawing board, or a sofa can become a guest-bed or part coffee table, then a small home can feel bigger and more creative. It's also satisfying, in the digital age, to use your hands to physically transform a piece and, as Johanna notes in Scandinavian design above all, it's an opportunity to own "incredible craftsmanship and high-quality woods" that are now recognised as adding to our wellbeing.

"For our customers, it is fun, special and very useful to have this kind of furniture in their homes. Space-saving ideas from the 1950s are still doing their job in contemporary living spaces. And they are always giving their new owners (and guests) a reason to wonder, dream and laugh."

These mid-century pieces invite you to think and feel outside the box. They have a story to tell, and even though you may not share a common past, they give you a reason to care, to be emotionally touched and involved. They still make sense, in terms of function, but also because they are meaningful.

This sense of fun, coupled with a sustainable philosophy, is evident in a recent collage-style Instagram post from @mid_century_friends that advises people to 'choose wisely', asking which item should 'go' from a nostalgic curation of: a 1950s Hausbüro integrated desk and shelves by August Stranghöner that folds into a compact unit, a baby Yoda toy, a coffee machine, a yellow Flötotto storage system, a Winnie-the-Pooh book, or a piece of toast with chocolate sprinkles³.

One person replies: 'The mix of flötotto, coffee, and Star Wars vibes has got me feelin' like I'm floatin' on a cloud!' Another chooses only the multifunctional desk and children's book. Further down the grid, the modular tableware 'La Boule' by Helen von Boch and Federigo Fabbrini (1971) has been sourced in a rare colour, appealing directly to the heart of the collector.

Johanna cites the Hausbüro desk as among her personal favourites. Also, other 1950s German designs that include a bar cabinet; a Tobro bureau in walnut veneer with a fold-out writing surface, altered to accommodate an iMac; and a re-upholstered 'Stella' sofa by Wilhelm Knoll.

She describes them like individual characters, with a humanity and tactility that people easily fall in love with. But in the end, it is pragmatism that counts: "Those pieces are already in the world, so it is a very good idea to give them a second life."

Since 2023, and with a change of name in mind, Mid Century Friends has started selling pieces from the 1980s and 90s. "There is always a beginning in fashion and music, and we can observe this change. There is a rising demand for original furniture pieces from that time. Multifunctionality and convertibility played a role during these decades too, with furniture design that was focused on a joyful experience when it came to social interactions," Johanna says. It will be interesting to watch this space.

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¹ Johanna describes the sourcing as ‘complex', also adding ‘if there is a chance to add something functional to the design and appearance without disrupting it, we take this opportunity’.

² These names are synonymous with American ‘mid-century modern’ design, a term first used by Cara Greenberg in her 1984 book to describe the post-war furniture experiments and innovations using industrial materials like bent plywood and moulded plastics, and simple organic lines. The Eames Lounge Chair (for Herman Miller), the Womb Chair by Eero Saarinen (for Knoll), and the Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia (also for Knoll) are iconic examples of this US design optimism, whose audience differed in societal and war-experience terms to that of European mid-century designers. George Nelson, as lead designer for Herman Miller, and Florence Knoll who founded Knoll Associates with her husband Hans, are hugely influential names.

³ Still loved in Germany today, this Dutch breakfast treat, called Hagelslag, became common in 1970s homes in Germany.