The Best Mid-Century Design Documentaries to Stream Now

I’m obsessed with midcentury Modern Design. The clean lines, vintage appeal, functionality, and flexibility of midcentury modern design feed my soul. The style offers sensory stimulation while still maintaining order.  I’d post a few documentaries on MCM design and one, Vintage Tomorrows, that explore adjacent design styles.

Eames: The Architect and the Painter (2011) – An in-depth look at the lives and work of influential designers Charles and Ray Eames. It provides great insight into mid-century modern style.

Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island (2018) – Focuses on mid-century modern architecture on Long Island, New York and architects like Wallace K. Harrison who built in the region. (Preview Below)

Atomic Homefront (2017) – An HBO documentary looking at mid-century optimism around atomic energy and how it influenced home design and consumer products postwar.

Vintage Tomorrows (2012) – A documentary about retrofuturism that includes a good amount of discussion and imagery related to mid-century modern design and architecture.

Spirit of the Bauhaus (2019) – – Covers the history and legacy of the Bauhaus school, whose minimalist approach influenced mid-century modernism.

I have Youtube links listed but bany of these are available to stream on services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy and Hoopla, which some libraries provide access to. Checking on those platforms may help you access the films. Enjoy exploring the world of mid-century design through these fascinating documentaries! Let me know if you need any other recommendations.

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