International Style vs Mid-Century Modern
Mid-Century Modern evolved from International Style — domesticated modernism with warmer materials and an organic touch.
International Style
The austere, functional modernism of glass curtain walls and unornamented volumes — 'form follows function' built in steel and glass.
- Rectilinear, volumetric forms with flat roofs
- Glass curtain walls and ribbon windows
- No applied ornament — 'form follows function'
- Exposed structural grid; steel and reinforced concrete
- Open, flexible floor plans raised on pilotis in some works
Mid-Century Modern
Warm, livable modernism — clean lines and flat planes opened up with glass walls that dissolve the boundary between indoors and out.
- Clean horizontal lines, flat or low-pitched roofs
- Floor-to-ceiling glass and walls of windows
- Open floor plans and indoor-outdoor flow
- Honest use of wood, stone, and brick
- Integration with the natural site and landscape
At a glance
| International Style | Mid-Century Modern | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1920s–1970s | 1945–1969 |
| Discipline | Architecture | Architecture |
| Region | Germany, Worldwide | United States, Scandinavia |
| Family | Modernism | Modernism |
| Formal traits | geometric, minimal, functional, unornamented | clean-lined, organic, minimal, indoor-outdoor |
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