As defined by the Encarta English Dictionary the definition of unique is “different from others in a way that makes somebody or something special and worthy of note” While the definition of pedestrian, also by theEncarta English Dictionary, means “dull, ordinary, unimaginative or uninspired”
Original owners of American Modern and Danish Modern furniture from that narrow slice of time from the 1950’s through the early 1970’s, have been passing away while their pieces live on. And here lies the rub. We are becoming over-saturated with the stuff. A mid century modern search on just two of the largest ecommerce sites EBay and Etsy will net you the following, with a search on EBay you will find over 75,000 assorted Mid Century Modern tables, chairs, sofas, dinnerware and lamps. A similar search on Etsy will net you 71,000 mid century modern pieces. Over-saturation like this causes a dulling of the period and of the common product.
What was once unique and cool is getting close to becoming pedestrian. The darker side of this dilemma will be a drop in value for what is now becoming the new mundane or…pedestrian pieces. On the other hand, the bright side of this issue is that truly unique furniture design from the likes of Adrian Pearsall, Charles Ames his wife Ray, Harry Bertoia. Arne Jacobsen, George Nelson, Paul McCobb, Eero Saarinen, Ib Kofod Larsen and Harvey Probber, just to name a few, will always remain unique, desirable and valuable. I for one will wait for the over-saturation to subside and pick up a few gems from the fray along the way.
