The term mid century modern furniture is thrown around like a catch phrase. Many understand the Genre and collect the classics, using them in practically every room of their home. Some people hear the term and although they appreciate modern furniture and may even decorate using modern pieces, they do not understand how the “mid century” label falls into place. Perhaps you think of a furniture piece being created in the 1930′s – 1960′s as not being very modern. You probably would not be alone in that presumption.But when really did “modern” start? As time clicks forward, is something that was considered modern furniture in the 1980′s for example, still considered modern in the early 21st century? Does not modern automatically imply brand new or the latest? Something current in styling and up to date? When will an iphone no longer be considered “modern”. Will it cut off at a particular version that apple released? One day the version 3.0 and later will no longer be considered modern but 4.0 and later will be?I can see how the perception of modern furniture would lend itself to being the latest in trend or design. After all we think of modern, particularly in the U.S, as it is driven into our psychic sense by media 24/7 that the latest is the greatest and if we do not have the latest, we are not worthy. The truth is in furniture, modern design is not dictated by a date. It is not representative of the latest year to our current and present time. Modern Furniture Designs share a common trait. They are almost always sleek. uses curves with low profile frames and minimal to no ornate applicants. Low profile with sweeping lines describes most mid century modern furniture pieces. In short, modern furniture shares not a time period but a look.In examining the genre and term mid century modern furniture, we see the time line added. These are pieces that are now classics. Pieces that were designed for the most part in the mid 20th century (hence the name mid century). Most of the designs claimed fame due to three factors. The first is handed down to the particular piece by the popularity of the designer himself. For example, Charles Eames and company were well known designers and famous architects. It is much easier for a chair to get recognition publicly and to climb the ladder of classics if Charles Eames created it versus a designer with not as much brand recognition. For Charles Eames to build a chair, or design building, there is a good chance it makes it into the hall of fame.The second factor is appearance. Well designed artistic pieces that compliment themselves with other pieces within the genre (in this example “modern furniture”) and the timeline build notoriety as the years pass. The third is functionality and for this article, functionality implies the practical purpose of the chair. Comfort, service form and function. Is the piece comfortable to use everyday? Does it fill a specific service in the home or is it much like a picture that hangs on the wall. For example, The Eileen grey table was designed for a specific purpose. It was a bed side table that held a breakfast tray. The good looking design features a telescopic table top that adjusts to the height of the bed or side chair so that the user can access the items on the table top more conveniently. Too, Visually the table was designed well. It is now a classic, even though in this example, at the time of the tables creation, the Eileen Grey name was not famous.You will find this reality in the field of art. There are times when an artists work actually improves in value after the passing of the artist. Some works of art are ahead of their time and not appreciated in full by the populace during the times in which the design originally was introduced. Later as time passes and tastes evolve, it is not uncommon for a piece to rocket to classic stardom without the designer or artist even being alive to promote the work. So mid century modern classic furniture are residential and commercial furniture pieces that were designed for the most part between 1930-1960′s in the genre of contemporary, or modern design. Mid Century Modern furniture are old designs, with modern flair and to this day insert seamlessly in modern settings.