"The 1940s was a decade of contradictions in which designers pushed the clock's hands back and forth. Keen as they were to pick up where they had left off before World War II, they were also determined to rethink furniture and living space in the context of new technologies developed in the war industry, and modern lifestyle tastes. The great wave of post-war consumerism inaugurated a new era of prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, and people from all social spheres turned their attention toward redefining the home." "So while Neoclassical rococo curves were rediscovered in the exquisite creations of Parisian master cabinetmakers and on "hollywood baroque" movie sets, they were soon rivaled by the undulating curves of Frederick Kiesler's biomorphic aluminum tables, Charles Eame's molded plywood chairs, and Carlo Mollino's sensually sculptural furnishings. Innovation, functionalism, and humanism were paving the way to a brighter future." "Decorative arts continued to embellish public places but design boldly crossed the threshold into our homes."--Jacket.