Modernica revives Mid-Century classics in furniture design

As the Modernist movement of post-WWII begins to take form across interiors and furniture design, in North America, vintage manufacturing is becoming more recognized as a viable method to make fabrics. And Californian furniture maker Modernica is leading the steady return back to mid-century production.Located in Los Angeles, Modernica is a design factory founded by vintage collector Frank Novak, who in 1987 stumbled across California’s Century Plastics center - an industrial factory made famous by the designs of George Nelson, and Charles and Ray Eames. When Novak entered the plant he discovered thousands of abandoned fiberglass chairs – known as shell chairs. In the eighties, chairs were no more than outdated seats and, therefore, sat piled up high and heavily rusted - out of production’s way. But Novak’s appreciation of the ancient relics sawhim walk away from Century Plastics with hundreds of shell chairs. And the concept of Modernica was born.Frank Novak, in partnership with his brother Jay, has created a brand that celebrates mid-century modern furniture as well as the visionary designers who created them. Modernica’s designs work across an array of natural and synthetic materials such as wood, plastic, upholstery, metal, ceramic and even fibreglass. Modernica also follows strict design specifications, which have been tried and tested by forefathers of the Modernist movement - namely Irv Green and Sol Fingerhut. The unique appeal of Modernica lies in the fact that it remains one of only a few of North American factories to operate using original post-war presses and pre-form machinery to make furniture. They are authentic.When Modernica officially opened in 1989, the Novak brothers used original instructions to learn how to operate the machines and handle glass fibers – an intricate process that requires years of training. Today - through the studio’s ‘Case Study’ initiative - Modernica preserves these aesthetics and processes for a timeless design. But they remain open to new technologies, adopting them into their manufacturing framework without jeopardizing tradition.The fiberglass chair is without a doubt, Modernica’s darling piece. Its avant-garde design stems from 1948, when Charles Eames first introduced the shell chair prototype to the Museum of Modern Art and its International Competition for Low Cost Furniture Design. When the design was commissioned for mass production, Eames hooked up with engineer Sol Fingerhut to implement a new fiberglass making process.Sales of Eames’ low-cost, stylish office furniture soared for at least three decades before dwindling in popularity. In the early 2000s, the Novaks initiated its return to stores, learning how to preserve the innate craftsmanship that was linked to that era.Sticking with traditions, Modernica uses a second-generation preform machine from the 1960s, designed specifically to build the fiberglass chair. A fiber mold is taken from combining chopped glass fibers and placing them onto a preform machine. Once molded, it is taken off, trimmed and then adjusted to create the desired shape. The resin used thick and is poured onto the mold, filtering through and over all the fibers. The resincoated mold is then placed on the press and boiled to a temperature over 200°F using steam. Catalysts are then added to the resin to cure the shell material. The press is then lifted and any excess edging is trimmed down once again. For Modernica, the most important thing is to recreate the original chair - taking the measures and costs associated toproduce it. It’s not about maximizing profits and maintaining efficiencies. The company has become more innovative with the fiberglass process and adopted newer technologies to better produce a translucency in the chairs. Engineers reformulated resin mixtures to improve the visualaesthetic and eliminated toxins such as lead. The change brought about bolder colors on each chair.Modernica continues to evolve, forming new relationships with youth targeted companies. Japanese BAPE first recruited Modernica to create its own signature camouflage rendition of the chair. California’s Diamond Supply Co. and HUF have since produced their own limited edition chairs, and most recently, The Hundreds showcased its ‘CMYK’ rocker.Modernica have since tested with burlap insertions, glow-in-the-dark materials and DayGlo versions of the shell. A new program was also introduced in 2014 titled“52 in 52” where the fiberglass chair is offered in a new color every week for one year.Simple design mixed with high quality and functionality are the basic building blocks that drive Modernica. It is this clear vision and commitment that has enabled the brothers to take a brand from its beginnings, as a mere vintage store, to its current position as a distinguished manufacturer and designer of modern furniture.