Mid-Century Modern Furniture: Eames, Le Corbusier and Bauhaus Inspired Pieces
The enduring appeal of Mid-Century Modern (MCM) design lies in its elegant simplicity, organic forms, and honest use of materials. For connoisseurs of mid century modern furniture, Turkey presents a unique landscape where global design principles meet local craftsmanship. This style, born from the post-war optimism of 1945-1969, champions pieces that are as functional as they are beautiful, defined by clean lines, tapered legs, and the warm tones of walnut and teak. It’s a design language that speaks of clarity, intention, and a seamless connection to the natural world.
While Turkey did not have its own formal MCM movement akin to those in Scandinavia or America, the style's influence is deeply felt in contemporary Turkish interiors. At Kavela, our Ankara-based atelier specialises in interpreting this iconic aesthetic. We don't just replicate; we engage in a dialogue with the designs of Eames, Wegner, and Saarinen to create bespoke furniture that is both a tribute to the past and perfectly suited for modern living in spaces from Istanbul penthouses to Ankara villas.
If you are after the line of the Eames Lounge, Le Corbusier LC2, Breuer Wassily or Saarinen Tulip, jump straight to their counterparts on kavela.design: Aston, Alto, Marcello, Voss, Savoy and Orson.
What Is Mid-Century Modern Furniture?
Short Answer: Mid-Century Modern (MCM) is a celebrated design movement that flourished from approximately 1945 to 1969. It is defined by functional simplicity, organic shapes, and an honest expression of materials. Key characteristics include tapered legs, minimal ornamentation, and the prominent use of natural woods like teak and walnut, creating a timeless aesthetic that bridges the gap between artistry and everyday use.
Kavela's Atelier: Bespoke Mid-Century Modern in Ankara
At Kavela, we approach Mid-Century Modern not as a static style to be copied, but as a living design language. Our Ankara atelier is a hub of creativity where we craft bespoke pieces that honour MCM principles while fitting seamlessly into the architecture of a contemporary Turkish home, whether it's a minimalist apartment in Çankaya or a sprawling villa in İncek. We focus on custom solutions, ensuring each piece is perfectly scaled and proportioned for its intended space.
Our commitment to quality is uncompromising, beginning with responsibly sourced materials like FSC-certified Anatolian walnut and American oak. We pair these premium woods with best-in-class hardware from industry leaders like Blum and Hafele, guaranteeing that drawers glide smoothly and doors close silently for decades. This meticulous attention to detail and material integrity sets our atelier-crafted furniture apart from mass-market alternatives.
Our partnership with the Italian Quadrifoglio Group provides us with access to innovative materials and advanced manufacturing techniques. This allows us to thoughtfully blend classic MCM aesthetics with modern performance. Imagine a Saarinen-inspired tulip table, its iconic form rendered not in marble, but in a state-of-the-art Fenix NTM surface, offering a super-matte, anti-fingerprint finish that elevates both beauty and durability.
Our Mid-Century Modern Custom Furniture Services
Our services are centered around a collaborative design and build process. We create unique, tailor-made MCM pieces that reflect your personal style and the specific requirements of your space, moving far beyond standard, off-the-shelf furniture.
MCM Dining Tables: The Social Heart of the Home
We design and build dining tables that serve as stunning centrepieces, featuring the style's signature tapered or conical legs. Whether you envision a circular table in teak for intimate gatherings in a Gaziosmanpaşa apartment or a large, extendable walnut table for a family home, we engineer the piece with precise dimensions for optimal flow and comfort.
Iconic Lounge Chairs & Ottomans
Experience comfort and style with a custom-built lounge chair inspired by the masters of the era. We focus on ergonomic perfection and the sculptural beauty of the frame, often using techniques like bent plywood. Upholstery is selected from a curated range of premium leathers, wools, and of-the-moment boucle fabrics from brands like Kvadrat.
Low-Profile TV Consoles & Media Units
Our MCM media units are designed to be elegant and unobtrusive, featuring long, low profiles, slender legs, and thoughtful details like tambour doors or minimalist integrated pulls. We incorporate discreet cable management systems and custom-sized compartments to house your technology, ensuring a clean, uncluttered aesthetic.
Statement Wall Units & Credenzas
The credenza is a hallmark of MCM design, and we craft them as functional works of art. From selecting the perfect walnut veneer with continuous grain matching across the doors to specifying bespoke brass or bronze hardware, every detail is considered. These pieces provide sophisticated storage for dining rooms, living areas, or hallways.
Minimalist MCM Bed Frames
We create serene and sophisticated bedroom environments with our custom MCM bed frames. Characterised by clean lines, solid wood construction, and often featuring integrated floating nightstands and upholstered headboards, our designs promote a sense of calm and order. The platform style elevates the mattress while maintaining a grounded, minimalist presence.
Custom Tributes to Eames & Wegner
We do not produce replicas; we create bespoke 'tributes' that honour the design intelligence of icons like Charles and Ray Eames or Hans Wegner. This allows us to capture the essence of a classic design—its form, joinery, and spirit—while adapting its scale, materials, and finish to your specific requirements and our exacting standards of craftsmanship.
Eames, Le Corbusier LC2, Wassily and Tulip: their counterparts on kavela.design
If you search for an Eames chair, an LC2 armchair, a Wassily or a Tulip table, you are usually after a design line: a moulded shell on leather cushions, a steel tube frame holding leather, a round top on a single pedestal. The eight pieces below follow those icons as separate Kavela designs made in our Ankara workshop. Prices are open and every piece goes straight into your cart on kavela.design.
Midcentury leather lounge chair
Aston: leather lounge chair in a wood shell 105,000 ₺Inspired by the shell-and-cushion layout of the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman: thick leather cushions set in a curved dark wood shell.
Steel cage armchair
Alto: steel cage armchair From 62,000 ₺Recalls the exposed-frame idea of the LC2: slim steel tubes wrap the chair while the cushions sit inside.
Tan leather sofa
Marcello: tan leather sofa From 64,000 ₺Shiny steel tube and tufted tan leather in single, double or triple. Carries the warm-leather, cool-metal balance of Le Corbusier sofas.
Chrome tube leather armchair
Voss: chrome tube armchair 28,800 ₺A sharp-lined armchair that echoes the Wassily's open steel tube frame and taut seat surfaces.
Steel chair
Savoy: curved-back steel chair 19,000 ₺A plain take on the Bauhaus steel chair idea: satin 304 stainless steel, curved back, slim tube legs.
Round steel table
Orson: single-pedestal round steel table 100,000 ₺Inspired by the single pedestal and round top of Eero Saarinen's Tulip table, with brushed lines radiating from the centre of the top.
Midcentury lounge chair
Mille: corduroy lounge chair From 54,000 ₺A soft chair set inside a single steel line; the tubes wrap the arms in one move.
Midcentury credenza and dresser
Nejat: lacquer and hazeran dresser 68,000 ₺Carries like a console, stores like a dresser: three drawers, electric blue lacquer, satin steel legs.
See the whole Designer Series with sizes and prices
Eames, Le Corbusier, Cassina, Knoll, Vitra, Herman Miller and other designer and brand names belong to their owners and are used only to describe a design line. The Kavela pieces above are not copies or licensed productions of these models; they are separate designs made in our Ankara workshop.
Eames, LC2, Wassily and Tulip: frequently asked questions
Where can I buy a lounge chair inspired by the Eames Lounge Chair?
The original Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman are made under licence by Vitra in Europe and Herman Miller in the US. If you want the same shell-and-cushion idea in a different design, Kavela's Aston lounge chair on kavela.design has a curved dark wood shell with thick leather cushions. It is not a copy or a licensed product; the price is shown openly and it goes straight into your cart.
Is there an armchair similar to the Le Corbusier LC2?
The LC2 (1928, Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, produced by Cassina) is known for its exposed steel tube frame holding leather cushions. On kavela.design, Alto (a steel cage armchair) and Marcello (a tufted tan leather sofa on steel tube) follow the same steel-and-leather idea as separate Kavela designs.
What is similar to the Breuer Wassily chair?
Marcel Breuer's Wassily chair (1925) is a tubular steel frame with taut seat surfaces. Kavela's Voss armchair on kavela.design echoes that open chrome-tube frame and sharp lines, as an original design rather than a replica.
Are Knoll and Vitra designers or manufacturers?
Both are manufacturers. Knoll produces designs such as Eero Saarinen's Tulip table, and Vitra produces Eames designs for Europe. For a single-pedestal round table in the Tulip spirit, see Kavela's Orson round steel table on kavela.design.
Are these pieces originals or copies?
Neither. They are separate Kavela designs inspired by the line of these icons and made in our Ankara workshop. Designer and brand names belong to their owners and are used only to describe the design language.
Our 6-Step Custom MCM Design & Build Process
From the first sketch to the final installation, our process is a transparent and collaborative journey. We work closely with you at every stage to ensure the final piece is a perfect realisation of your vision.
1. Initial Design Consultation
The journey begins at our Ankara atelier or via a detailed virtual meeting. We discuss your aesthetic preferences, functional needs, and analyse your space's architectural plans or photographs to understand the context, whether it's a new build in Beykoz or a renovation project.
2. Concept Development & Material Selection
Our design team translates our conversation into initial concept sketches and 3D visualisations. We then guide you through our curated library of materials, including FSC-certified wood samples, premium fabric swatches, and hardware options from Hafele and Blum's catalogues.
3. Technical Drawings & Finalisation
Upon concept approval, we develop precise, workshop-ready technical drawings. Every dimension, joinery detail, and finish specification is documented for your final sign-off, ensuring absolute clarity and alignment before production commences. This architectural-level precision guarantees a flawless outcome.
4. Atelier Craftsmanship
In our Ankara workshop, our master craftsmen begin the meticulous process of building your furniture. This phase, which typically spans 4 to 6 weeks, involves precision woodworking, traditional joinery techniques, and multi-layered finishing processes to bring out the natural beauty of the wood.
5. Quality Assurance & Final Review
Every piece undergoes a rigorous multi-point quality inspection to ensure it meets our exacting standards. We invite our clients to the atelier for a final review before dispatch or provide high-resolution images and videos for remote approval, ensuring complete satisfaction.
6. White-Glove Delivery & Installation
Our dedicated logistics team manages the final stage, providing a white-glove delivery and installation service across Turkey and internationally. We ensure your new furniture is carefully placed, assembled, and perfectly positioned in your home with the utmost care and professionalism.
Mid-Century Modern in the Turkish Context
While MCM is an international movement, its principles of clean geometry, material honesty, and human-centric design find a natural home within modern Turkish architecture and interiors. We explore this synergy, adapting a global style with a local sensibility.
The Influence on Turkish Republican Architecture
The post-war modernism that fueled MCM also influenced the architects of the Turkish Republic. While not a direct stylistic copy, the ethos of functionalism, rational planning, and unadorned forms can be seen in many 1950s and 60s buildings in districts like Ankara's Kavaklıdere, creating a compatible architectural backdrop for MCM furniture.
Adapting MCM for Contemporary Turkish Homes
The often-compact scale and multi-functional nature of MCM furniture make it exceptionally well-suited for modern urban living in cities like Istanbul and Izmir. We frequently design pieces like a credenza that doubles as a room divider in an open-plan Beşiktaş apartment, demonstrating the style's inherent flexibility and relevance.
Material Dialogue: Anatolian Walnut Meets Danish Design
One of our signature approaches is to interpret classic Danish or American MCM forms using locally sourced, high-quality materials. Crafting a Wegner-inspired chair from the deep, rich grain of Anatolian walnut creates a piece that is both globally fluent in its design language and uniquely rooted in its Turkish context.
Project Scopes & Service Areas
- Ankara (Çankaya, Gaziosmanpaşa, İncek) Active
- Istanbul (Beşiktaş, Kadıköy, Sarıyer) Active
- Bodrum & Aegean Coast Villas Active
- Boutique Hotel & Restaurant Furnishings Active
- Corporate HQ & Executive Offices Active
- Architect & Interior Designer Collaborations Core
- International Projects (Export) Active
Begin Your Bespoke Mid-Century Modern Project
Mid-Century Modern is more than an aesthetic; it is a philosophy of living with clarity, purpose, and an appreciation for enduring design. At Kavela, we are dedicated to translating this philosophy into tangible objects of beauty and function through meticulous craftsmanship and a collaborative design process.
Get in touch: Whether you are furnishing an entire residence or searching for a single, definitive piece to complete your space, our team is ready to guide you. Contact Kavela's Ankara atelier today to schedule your initial design consultation and explore the possibilities of custom-made furniture. Get in touch.
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