Mid-Century Hall Bench

It seems odd that the term “mid-century modern” didn’t exist before the mid-1980s. But that’s when it surfaced as the title to a book by Cara Greenberg that covered a lot of the post WWII trends in architecture, furniture, and accessories. At the heart of this movement was a passion to distill all things to the essence of its function, but not abandon style in the process. “Functionally elegant simplicity” is the ongoing manifesto of the mid-century modern movement. The secondary goal was affordable, well designed furniture. But, as with the Arts & Crafts period that preceded it, the original pieces from this movement can set you back some serious cash. That’s where we can help out, at least if you’re in need of a handsome hall bench. The bench you see here ticks all the boxes when it comes to the standards of the mid-century ethos. What you don’t see, though, is some serious mortise and tenon joinery going on where the seat and legs join. Also unnoticed is the finger-jointed bracket that ties the back to the seat. It’s a fairly long list of diverse materials that are used under the umbrella of the mid-century movement. We chose to stick with one of the favored woods – walnut. It’s got a subtle depth and a coolish warm glow that plays well with the clean design.