Milo Baughman

Mary Anne Smiley

My inspiration for the posting today came from this beautiful room designed by Dallas designer Mary Anne Smiley. I love the way Mary Anne mixed antiques, chrome, a beautiful Kelly Wearstler rug and Barcelona chairs. chairs. The room has Milo Baughman inspired elements that I really love.

Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin 1960s from Fat Chance Modern

Milo Baughman Chair in Chrome and Yellow Wool 1960s from Home 114

Milo Baughman was one of the leading modern furniture designers of the second-half of the 20th century. His uniquely American designs were forward-thinking and distinctive, yet unpretentious and affordable. Today Baughman furniture is much less affordable. As with anything that is well crafted and highly collectable it is reflected in the price tag.

His prolific and highly influential work continues to be copied, reinvented and revived by contemporary furniture designers.

“With an ongoing interest in '50s and '60s design, a lot of my work has been reintroduced and been very well-received,” Baughman once declared. “Increasingly, architects are using these mid-century classics from the pioneer of this period. It’s a bit unfortunate for current designers with new interpretations of Modern. Going back to the classics is playing it safe, which limits opportunities for new concepts in design.”

Working mainly with walnut, formica and wrought iron, Baughman created simple, understated pieces; many were conceived as space dividers, functioning admirably in the open plan interiors characteristic of the California Modern style.

Baughman's work was included in the Whitney Museum's 1985 exhibit "High Styles: Twentieth Century American Design". In recognition of his monumental impact on American taste, Baughman was inducted into the Furniture Designers Hall of Fame in 1987.