AMC’s “Mad Men” is more than just one of this era’s most celebrated television dramas. It has also fortified an already growing fascination with mid-century modernist style, something the series has taken very seriously as it has moved from early 1960, in the first season, up through 1969 in the final, seventh season. Although just one decade is depicted in the show, the array of shifting fashion trends and cool modern furniture has been a feast for the eyes. It’s not that surprising to learn that a lot of work and careful thought goes into staging “Mad Men.”
The show’s Production Designer, Dan Bishop, explained to midcenturymodernist.com that, “We wanted to make sure it wasn’t a textbook study of mid-century modern America… look around your own house, does everything exist from now or do you actually have stuff lying around from the ’80s?”
Bishop’s point is well-made: to preserve the natural look of the sets, they need to mimic real life, albeit real life 50 years ago. And just as it is now, our homes and offices are often hodgepodges of the old and new. In fact, there are likely occasional anachronisms in episodes of “Mad Men” if you care to watch that closely.
Scott Buckwald, “Mad Men” Property Master, told midcenturymodernist.com that, “… there are a lot of things that are holdovers, especially for the older generation. Their cars could be from the early ’50s. You have to watch out for the misinterpretations and prejudices you might have about the era. It’s also very easy to try to jam everything that was introduced in 1960 all into one episode. You have to space it out a little bit. ‘Cause everything that was developed in 1960 didn’t happen in one day.”
Set decorator Amy Wells was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered a few years back, talking about her work on the office of central character Don Draper (Jon Hamm). Wells revealed then that she’s old enough to remember mid-century decor, but frequently uses old Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs to reference items. She also said that, at that time, her weekly budget for each episode was $25,000, which we imagine increased significantly since.
“Mad Men” may have helped perpetuate our cultural interest in mid-century design and cool modern furniture, but there are many other ways (besides watching it) that you can make modern design part of your life. Many a contemporary furniture store carries an array of designer modern furniture – and some of the reproductions and modern-inspired designs are truly fantastic. Cool modern furniture and designer contemporary furniture is all the rage: just look around you.