Project: Mid Century Diorama - Space Age 50's-70's (Part 1)

"The Space Age was an era of new military, political, technological and scientific developments, which began with the Soviet Union's October 4, 1957 launch of Earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1.

The last major leap of the Space Age was the Skylab (1973) and Salyut (1971) programs, which established the first space stations for the U.S. and USSR in Earth Orbit following termination of both country's moon programs." - Wikipedia

Now, a little information about the people who designed the original furniture for the 1:6 scale diorama I'm working on.

TULIP ARM CHAIR

Year: 1957 Designer: Eero Saarinen for Knoll.

Finnish-American Saarinen was just as renowned for his work as an architect as he was for his furniture design. Known for his graceful flowing lines, Saarinen designs include the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and JFK International Airport’s TWA Flight Centre, as well as the Womb Chair and the Tulip Table and Chairs.

Saarinen’s famous Pedestal Collection was developed to clean up the “ugly, confusing world” of table and chair legs.  

BALL CHAIR

Year: 1963 Designer: Eero Aarnio for the Cologne Furniture Fair of 1966.

This isn’t a piece of furniture for fans of subtle designs. Another frequent star of sci-fi films and TV shows and an enduring symbol of the ‘60s, the Ball Chair might be a little dated compared to the rest of this list but it is undeniably fun. It is impossible to look at this chair and not smile, but again, its funky design also served a purpose.

Designer Eero Aarnio needed a large chair and set out to make his own. Aiming for a simple design, he ended up going with the most basic shape there is and created an icon in the process.

PANTON CHAIR

Year: 1967 Designer: Verner Panton for Vitra.

Today, plastic is generally not considered the most luxurious or rarest material around. But in the mid-twentieth century, plastic was still new and relatively fancy. So when Verner Panton designed a chair that was made entirely out of a single piece of plastic (the first time such a chair had ever been made) people’s minds were sufficiently blown. And the chair still looks great today.

Although plastic may have lost some of its lustre, the satisfying curves and gravity-defying stance of the Panton still turn heads well into the 21st century.

COMPONIBILI

Year: 1967 Designer: Anna Castelli Ferrieri for Kartell.

An icon of Italian design known all over the world, the Componibili (initially called Mobili 4970/84), was first presented in 1967 at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and reflects the idea that a design should not only be beautiful, but also functional.

Anna Castelli Ferrieri, an Italian architect and industrial designer, was the first woman to graduate from the prestigious Polytechnic of Milan. Anna was a pioneer in research and production of everyday plastic objects. In 1949 she founded Kartell together with her husband Giulio Castelli, in order to produce high-quality design products out of plastic.

Even now the Componibili is still among Kartell’s best sellers and it is exhibited in the permanent collections of the Modern Museum of Art in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Unfortunately the Componibili is not available in 1:6 scale and I couldn't find the right items to make one, so it's not shown in my diorama, but all the other pieces will be included.