BY DESIGN MODERN - the back story

-Antiques To Mid-Century Modern-

By Design Modern was born of my family's 52 year furniture business, Sugar Barrel Antiques. Established by my father in 1967, items were initally acquired locally, then he shifted to importing traditional European antiques. 

After 30 years of providing locals with quality antiques from our brick and mortar shops, we additionally went online in 1999.

In 2004 I noticed a shift, people were furnishing their spaces with a sleek, simple aesthetic, mid-century modern was on the rise!

 

 

 

Sourcing local premium items was difficult, I wanted to offer a sizable selection of Scandinavian goods. So, in 2005 I made my first trip to Denmark to procure and import Danish mid-century furniture to Vancouver.

19 years have passed since that inaugural trip, I continue to import hundreds of hand selected Danish items every year. I'm passionate about providing unique, quality furniture and lighting to a discerning clientele, those seeking a quality alternative to big box knock offs.

I continue to share my passion for MCM furnishings and lighting! 

 

 

What is Danish Modern?

Danish modern is sub style of the overall Mid-Century Modern design movement. Primarily a style of minimalist furniture and housewares from Denmark associated with the Danish design movement.

Danish designer and architect Kaare Klint, in the 1920s, embraced the principles of Bauhaus modernism in furniture design, creating clean, pure lines based on an understanding of classical furniture craftsmanship paired with exhaustive research into materials, proportions and the requirements of the human body.

With designers such as Arne Jacobsen and Hans Wegner and associated cabinetmakers, Danish furniture thrived from the 1940s through the 1960s. Adopting mass-production techniques and concentrating on form rather than just function, Finn Juhl, Borge Mogenesen, Grete Jalk, Poul Kjaerholm and others contributed to the style's success.

Danish modern design was firmly cemented in the collective consciousness of those in North America when, in 1960, Hans Wegner’s PP503 armchairs were used for the first televised presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy.