Concrete, steel and laminated panels could be combined in endless ways. Big-name designers like Cees Braakman, Charles & Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen and Pierre Paulin designed furniture for Pastoe, Vitra, Knoll, Artifort and other companies. They stirred up a desire in ordinary people for light and space, especially during the post-war years when they longed to say farewell to a dark period of history and, at the same time, to their somber, ponderous interiors. These modern and versatile materials also gave leading architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe enormous freedom. A new era had dawned. The same period brought forth iconic dishware. During the Second World War, the U.S. army used melamine dishware and utensils because they were lightweight, cheap and virtually indestructible. Airlines and households quickly embraced the new material for the same reasons. These vintage items remain wildly popular and are usually still in good condition, long after they were made. The influence of this period is still evident in interiors today and industrial-scale production has made new designs affordable for all. We can still buy vintage furniture from the mid-20th century, as if it is “as good as new.” The interplay of quality and timeless design holds its value and we sometimes have to dig deep in our pockets for vintage both dishware and furniture, even if it is made of MDF with a decorative paper surface. Pastoe’s vintage cabinets of the Fifties and Sixties still look brand-new, thanks to melamine. melamine 7
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