I recently had the pleasure of attending the Mid-Century Modern design exhibit currently on display at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA. It was organized to showcase the “Post-war, mid-century modern aesthetic elements in Peanuts comic strips” and as a longtime Peanuts fan who grew up watching the various TV specials and spent many hours playing with her stuffed Snoopy toy, I found it incredibly charming as well as informative and fun. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend stopping by the museum and checking out the exhibit before it closes in late October. You won’t be disappointed! Here’s a little blurb about the exhibit from the museum’s website:
Many of the Peanuts comic strips of the late 1950s and 1960s exude the mid-century modern aesthetic of the day — the furniture, decorative pieces, and fabrics were hip, cool and up-to-date. In a series of vignettes these elements will be compared with the work of some prominent mid-century designers, including Ray and Charles Eames. Another component of the exhibition examines how the Schulzes incorporated the design aesthetic in their lifestyle through photographs and ephemera.
I took a lot of photos at the exhibit because there was so much eye-candy on display. Some items are from their permanent exhibit and others are specifically associated with the Mid-Century Modern exhibit. Enjoy the eye-candy!
A few examples of Peanuts comics featuring mid-century design.
The photo shows Charles Schulz at home and the drapes in the photo are part of the display. I loved the print and color!
The displays were really wonderful and showcased the work of designers such as Eames, Hans L. Wegner and Noguchi.
I really loved cute Eames chair manufactured by Herman Miller for the Dover Street Market store opening in Tokyo, Japan.
My favorite ongoing display at the museum was this wall mural that Schulz originally painted for his daughter’s bedroom. The wall was carefully removed from the Schulz home and now it can be enjoyed by everyone. The animal details were adorable! I especially love the crazy looking bunny.
Some of the items on display from Charles Schulz’ personal office & his bowling ball, bag & shoes (he was a championship bowler).
Last but not least, here are some of the super cute coasters currently being sold at the gift shop featuring vintage Peanuts illustrations with a mid-century twist. If you can’t attend the exhibit you can still purchase these costers for a limited time at the museum’s website.
Recommended Links:
– The Charles M Schulz Musuem
– Charlie Brown’s Mid-Century Modern life
MID-CENTURY LIVING 