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INTERIOR DESIGN

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NONPROFIT

NONPROFIT

Midcentury Modernism Is Still Where It’s At.

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When Rod Parks opened the doors of his furniture store, Retro Inferno, in 1998, midcentury modernism wasn’t quite a thing – at least not in Kansas City.

Fast-forward 20 years, and this style is ubiquitous. Everywhere. Re-issued, reproduced, and downright copied.

“It resonates with people, so its popularity keeps increasing. I know I’m obsessed,” Parks says.

And he has the floors of furniture to prove it.

The showroom at Retro Inferno looks more art museum than furniture store.

Sculptural chairs in each color of the rainbow and swooping sectional sofas punctuated by groovy light fixtures are exhibited in this two-story space in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District.

“If you want to find the good stuff, like I do, you have to always be on the lookout for it,” Parks says. “The good woods are getting more rare, the teak and walnut.”

Parks’ current clientele is half New York interior designers, 25-percent interior designers from elsewhere, and the rest is from foot traffic in Kansas City’s ever-evolving, always-improving urban core.

Midcentury modernism was born after World War II. Design reflected post-battle exuberance and embodied hope.

Parks grew up in that era. The optimism expressed on the homefront – from the automobile parked in the garage to the sofa in the living room – is what appealed to him.

“I often use car analogies in my store,” Parks says. “People understand that with cars; the name makes a difference. The same with the furniture.”

For example, car brands like Mercedes are understood to be high-quality design, performance, and construction. The same goes with furniture brands like Dunbar, Knoll, and Herman Miller.

Rod Parks

“At a glance, lesser-quality products can serve similar functions but will lack some of those performance aspects, quality of construction, and durability,” Park explains. “Even resale value.

“And when you look at something that is well designed, you don’t have to know anything about design for it to connect with you, just that something about it looks good.”

RETRO INFERNO

1500 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri info@retroinferno.com 816-842-4004

Stacy Downs writes about all things design and is a partner at MAD Creative, a branding and communications firm in Kansas City.

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