A time capsule is not a relic of the past, but a memory that can be reactivated today.
Architecture, furniture, and memory intertwine, reopening a dialogue across eras.
YMS by onefifteen is situated within the H-2 district of the Yangmingshan U.S. Military Housing Complex. This historic architectural ensemble, constructed between the 1950s and 1960s, once served as a U.S. military residential area deeply influenced by the American lifestyle of that era. Continuing this cultural lineage, the space has been reinterpreted and reshaped based on the spirit of Mid-Century Modern (MCM).Classic MCM elements—iconic furniture designs, patterns, and ornamentation—are translated through contemporary art and lighting design, creating an atmosphere that is both nostalgic and innovative, paying homage to the design philosophy of that era.
This exhibition employs the concept of a "time capsule," interweaving architecture, furniture, and cultural memory. YMS stands as a sealed capsule preserving the history and design ethos of the 1950s and 1960s. It guides visitors to revisit historical memories from the era of U.S. military presence in Taiwan while reimagining the concept of "modern living" in the present.
The MCM furniture on display transcends mere utility, embodying the spirit of its era and symbolizing a lifestyle philosophy. In Gallery 4, visitors will personally "unlock the capsule" through historical audiovisuals, thematic furniture pieces, and interactive experiences, witnessing how design transcends time to inspire new possibilities for contemporary living. By weaving together stories from the past, we aim to foster a timeless dialogue and present an aesthetic landscape that transcends time and space.
This is more than just an exhibition. From architecture to furniture, from history to the present, viewers will witness how a memory transforms into an aesthetic landscape, continuing to blossom in the contemporary era.
Time Capsule: Furniture and Living Scenes Across the Ages
Mid-Century Modern at YMS
Time Capsule
Furniture and Scenes of Life Across the Ages
Mid-Century Modern at YMS
A time capsule is not a relic of the past, but a memory that can be reactivated today.
Architecture, furniture, and memory intertwine, reopening a dialogue across eras.
YMS by onefifteen is situated within the H-2 district of the Yangmingshan U.S. Military Housing Complex. This historic architectural ensemble, constructed between the 1950s and 1960s, once served as a U.S. military residential area deeply influenced by the American lifestyle of that era. Continuing this cultural lineage, the space has been reinterpreted and reshaped based on the spirit of Mid-Century Modern (MCM).Classic MCM elements—iconic furniture designs, patterns, and ornamentation—are translated through contemporary art and lighting design, creating an atmosphere that is both nostalgic and innovative, paying homage to the design philosophy of that era.
This exhibition employs the concept of a "time capsule," interweaving architecture, furniture, and cultural memory. YMS stands as a sealed capsule preserving the history and design ethos of the 1950s and 1960s. It guides visitors to revisit historical memories from the era of U.S. military presence in Taiwan while reimagining the concept of "modern living" in the present.
The MCM furniture on display transcends mere utility, embodying the spirit of its era and symbolizing a lifestyle philosophy. In Gallery 4, visitors will personally "unlock the capsule" through historical audiovisuals, thematic furniture pieces, and interactive experiences, witnessing how design transcends time to inspire new possibilities for contemporary living. By weaving together stories from the past, we aim to foster a timeless dialogue and present an aesthetic landscape that transcends time and space.This is more than just an exhibition. From architecture to furniture, from history to the present, viewers will witness how a memory transforms into an aesthetic landscape, continuing to blossom in the contemporary era.
A time capsule is not a relic of the past, but a memory that can be reactivated today. Architecture, furniture, and memories intertwine, reigniting the dialogue of eras.
YMS by onefifteen is situated within the H-2 district of the Yangmingshan U.S. Military Housing Complex. This historic architectural ensemble, constructed between the 1950s and 1960s, once served as a U.S. military residential area deeply influenced by the American lifestyle of that era. Continuing this cultural lineage, the space has been reinterpreted and reshaped based on the spirit of Mid-Century Modern (MCM).Classic MCM elements—iconic furniture designs, patterns, and ornamentation—are translated through contemporary art and lighting design, creating an atmosphere that is both nostalgic and innovative, paying homage to the design philosophy of that era.
This exhibition employs the concept of a "time capsule," interweaving architecture, furniture, and cultural memory. YMS stands as a sealed capsule preserving the history and design ethos of the 1950s and 1960s. It guides visitors to revisit historical memories from the era of U.S. military presence in Taiwan while reimagining the concept of "modern living" in the present.
The MCM furniture on display transcends mere utility, embodying the spirit of its era and symbolizing a lifestyle philosophy. In Gallery 4, visitors will personally "unlock the capsule" through historical audiovisuals, thematic furniture pieces, and interactive experiences, witnessing how design transcends time to inspire new possibilities for contemporary living. By weaving together stories from the past, we aim to foster a timeless dialogue and present an aesthetic landscape that transcends time and space.
This is more than just an exhibition. From architecture to furniture, from history to the present, viewers will witness how a memory transforms into an aesthetic landscape, continuing to blossom in the contemporary era.
Mid-Century Modern (MCM)
MCM, short for Mid-Century Modern, was a large-scale aesthetic movement spanning architecture, interior design, and industrial design, flourishing from 1945 to 1970.Originating in post-war America, this trend synthesized principles from Bauhaus, De Stijl, and Nordic design, championing the philosophy that "form follows function." It replaced ornate ornamentation with clean, practical forms.
During World War II, many European designers relocated to the United States, bringing with them modernist concepts and innovative thinking. With advances in industrial technology, new materials such as fiberglass, plywood, aluminum, and steel were widely adopted in everyday life and furniture design, ushering in a new chapter of modern living.MCM's works, characterized by streamlined forms, natural light effects, and function-driven structures, embodied postwar society's vision of "a better life."
By the 1950s and 1960s, the MCM style reached its peak in the United States, embodying the modern spirit of optimism, rationality, and accessibility. Though it gradually receded after the 1970s, Cara Greenberg's 1984 publication Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s redefined and named the style, bringing it renewed attention.Through the promotion of iconic brands like Herman Miller and Knoll, coupled with the popularity of the television series *Mad Men*, MCM has returned to the forefront of design, establishing itself as a timeless aesthetic that transcends generations.
Medieval Modernism
(Mid-Century Modern, MCM)
MCM, short for Mid-Century Modern, was a large-scale aesthetic movement spanning architecture, interior design, and industrial design, flourishing from 1945 to 1970.Originating in post-war America, this trend synthesized principles from Bauhaus, De Stijl, and Nordic design, championing the philosophy that "form follows function." It replaced ornate ornamentation with clean, practical forms.
During World War II, many European designers relocated to the United States, bringing with them modernist concepts and innovative thinking. With advances in industrial technology, new materials such as fiberglass, plywood, aluminum, and steel were widely adopted in everyday life and furniture design, ushering in a new chapter of modern living.MCM's works, characterized by streamlined forms, natural light effects, and function-driven structures, embodied postwar society's vision of "a better life."
By the 1950s and 1960s, the MCM style reached its peak in the United States, embodying the modern spirit of optimism, rationality, and accessibility. Though it gradually receded after the 1970s, Cara Greenberg's 1984 publication Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s redefined and named the style, bringing it renewed attention.Through the promotion of iconic brands like Herman Miller and Knoll, coupled with the popularity of the television series *Mad Men*, MCM has returned to the forefront of design, establishing itself as a timeless aesthetic that transcends generations.
Medieval Modernism
(Mid-Century Modern, MCM)
MCM, short for Mid-Century Modern, was a large-scale aesthetic movement spanning architecture, interior design, and industrial design, flourishing from 1945 to 1970.Originating in post-war America, this trend synthesized principles from Bauhaus, De Stijl, and Nordic design, championing the philosophy that "form follows function." It replaced ornate ornamentation with clean, practical forms.
During World War II, many European designers relocated to the United States, bringing with them modernist concepts and innovative thinking. With advances in industrial technology, new materials such as fiberglass, plywood, aluminum, and steel were widely adopted in everyday life and furniture design, ushering in a new chapter of modern living.MCM's works, characterized by streamlined forms, natural light effects, and function-driven structures, embodied postwar society's vision of "a better life."
By the 1950s and 1960s, the MCM style reached its peak in the United States, embodying the modern spirit of optimism, rationality, and accessibility. Though it gradually receded after the 1970s, Cara Greenberg's 1984 publication Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s redefined and named the style, bringing it renewed attention.Through the promotion of iconic brands like Herman Miller and Knoll, coupled with the popularity of the television series *Mad Men*, MCM has returned to the forefront of design, establishing itself as a timeless aesthetic that transcends generations.
1｜Postwar Daily Life: Prelude to Reshaping Modern Living
Postwar life was restructured, designed as a language for rebuilding daily routines. Lightweight structures, repairable components, and standardized modules transitioned from military workshops into domestic living spaces, shaping the blueprint of modern existence. This furniture reimagined life in the new era, responding to everyday needs while transforming materiality into an aesthetic vocabulary—evolving from experimentation into the warmth of lived experience.
Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair, Herman Miller x HAY
The Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair (LCW), born in 1946, stands as a timeless masterpiece that seamlessly blends industrial technology with ergonomic design. Building upon their wartime experience crafting plywood leg splints, the Eames couple employed molded plywood techniques to bend wood into contours that naturally follow the body's curves, embodying the design philosophy of "staying true to the material's essence."
Following its acclaimed debut at MoMA, the LCW was named the best design of the 20th century by Time magazine in 1999. In 2022, Hay's design team breathed new life into this classic with a forest green version.
Aluminum Group Chairs, Base, Black, Standard Leather Cat.9 Black
The Eames Aluminum Group stands as a seminal work in corporate space design, symbolizing the pivotal shift from residential to office design. Supported by aluminum side beams, the fabric-upholstered seats transformed office furniture from heavy to light, striking a perfect balance between rigorous engineering and everyday comfort.
2｜Modules and Order: The Systematized Landscape of Daily Life
Modular construction and standardized dimensions transform furniture into a flexible living system. Modules are not a definition of order, but rather a code of time. Herman Miller's system furniture philosophy, established in the 1950s, began with individual objects, making modules the design itself. Through the expansion and assembly of living spaces, it redefines the landscape of life within a systematic framework.
Eames Storage Unit (ESU)
Born in the 1950s, the modular furniture system stands as a classic prototype. Constructed from standardized steel frames, perforated panels, and plywood shelves, its exposed structure resembles "miniature bridges," embodying the industrial era's aesthetic of form and function.ESU continues the architectural vocabulary of the Eames House—steel grid structures and proportional color blocks—embodying the concept of "furniture as architecture," transforming living spaces into adaptable design laboratories.ESU and the educational version EDU share components, creating diverse configurations through "same materials, different combinations" to demonstrate the economic efficiency and flexibility afforded by standardization.
3｜Form Follows Craft: Furniture Sculpture in Space
When structure becomes language, furniture transcends mere objects to become sculptures frozen in space. The progression of lines, the curves of contours, the luster of weld points, and the shifting play of shadows collectively compose a spatial poem. These timeless designs achieve form through craftsmanship, and through form, create scenes—revealing MCM's tension between form and function, much like a silent dialogue between reason and emotion.
Eames Wire Chair (DKR)
This is an extension of Eames's "single shell × multiple structures" design language. Replacing the solid seat shell with a wire mesh frame reveals a transparent, lightweight, and sculptural structural aesthetic. This chair transforms industrial materials into elegant lines—both an everyday object and a geometric experiment in structure and space.
The seat shell can be paired with various bases (such as the Eiffel Base or Rod Base) and optionally fitted with a cushion or the two-piece "Bikini" pad, combining comfort with flexibility to embody the Eames' systematic design philosophy. The iconic Eiffel Base features four steel rods cross-braced for reinforcement, earning its nickname "Eiffel Tower" for its silhouette. Balancing metallic tension with ergonomic principles, the DKR became a symbol of "modern living" in the 1950s.
4｜Design Temperature: The Language of Materials
Light interlaced, dancing between the wood's grain, illuminating the joints and layers of thickness along the growth rings, guiding the flow of sight, infusing the wood with a deeper design warmth. Rational structure paired with sensual details, presenting the warmth of design, composing the rhythm of life—this is the very essence of Herman Miller's classic furniture.
Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman (670/671) Walnut wood, Standard leather Cat.9 Black
5｜Technology Transfer: From Military to Home Use
The precision and resilience of military technology inform the vocabulary of life design. The warmth of molded plywood, the order of metal wire frames, and the fluid lines of fiberglass shells compose a balanced poem of "strength" and "lightness." Materials no longer belong solely to industry and warfare; they are reborn within the domestic space.Herman Miller redefines furniture boundaries through innovative processes—making mass-producibility and repairability not just symbols of efficiency, but expressions of human warmth in the industrial age.
Eames Fiberglass Armchair with Steinberg Cat
Eames x Saul Steinberg
Faithfully reproduced and hand-painted, the Eames Fiberglass Armchair features artist Saul Steinberg's iconic "Cat" image, seamlessly blending modernist design with humorous artistry to showcase the Eames' interpretation of playfulness in everyday life.This special limited edition Steinberg Cat, with only 500 pieces produced worldwide, has sold out completely, cementing its status as a classic in both the collecting world and design history.
Eames Fiberglass Armchair RAR
The RAR embodies the most approachable iteration of the Eames' "single shell × multiple bases" design language. Its one-piece fiberglass armrest shell rests atop a steel wire truss and wooden rocking base, transforming the originally cold, industrial materials into something soft and warm with every sway.This chair transitions from material experimentation into daily life—whether placed by a window, in a nursery, or a reading nook, it naturally integrates into the home's rhythm. As part of the Eames family, RAR not only exemplifies systematic design thinking (a single shell compatible with various bases) but also embodies the Eames' observation of life's cadence—finding comfortable equilibrium between motion and stillness.
Coconut Chair Fabric Type: Cat. D
As a classic representative of 1950s design, the Coconut Chair is renowned for its humorous form language, clean structural lines, and restrained use of materials.Designer George Nelson once likened this chair to "a coconut sliced into eight segments," though he reversed the colors: the outer shell features pristine white curved surfaces, while the one-piece molded seat is upholstered in premium leather or fabric, available in multiple color options.
Leg Splint
This World War II medical plywood splint is regarded as the "Object No. 0" of the Eames design system. At the time, metal splints transmitted vibrations to injured limbs during transport. The Eames couple solved the problem with molded plywood—lightweight, shock-absorbing, and mass-producible. This craftsmanship laid the groundwork for the form-logic behind subsequent iconic chairs like the LCW and LCM. From curved surfaces and perforations to weight-reducing structures, it first achieved the perfect fusion of "comfort" and "function" in design. Today, the Leg Splint is regarded as a pivotal turning point in design history and is held in collections at institutions like MoMA.
6｜Between Nature and Craftsmanship
The Eames Turned Stool is carved from walnut wood, reborn through turning and polishing, while the surrounding plants are living, growing entities—a meticulously crafted gift from nature.When "order" and "growth" coexist within a space, forming a symbiosis of organic and rational elements, we can truly grasp the moment when nature transforms into design, and design returns to nature—here, the MCM spirit extends into the cycle of life and time.
Eames Turned Stool
Eames regarded "turning" as a design syntax. By carving distinct mid-section contours from solid walnut blocks using lathe processes, stools of identical height exhibit varied rhythms and centers of gravity. Much like the interchangeable bases of the Shell Chair, the Turned Stool expands into diverse applications—side tables, plant stands, and end tables—through contour variations and wood species variations.This collection embodies the "flexible order" pursued by Mid-Century Modernism: uniform specifications, diverse forms, and a balance of sculptural presence and everyday functionality.
7 | Eames House
Inspired by the Eames House built by Charles and Ray Eames in 1949, this section serves as the core of the exhibition titled "Time Capsule," recreating the Eameses' spirit of blending creativity, craftsmanship, and daily life.The original Eames House stands as an icon of mid-century modern design in America. More than just a residence, it served as both studio and laboratory for inspiration, where steel frames, glass, and light constructed a free and open living environment. Here, we extend the legacy of Herman Miller's classic furniture and the Eames design language to create a contemporary "Eames House."
Eames House_Library & Living Room
The dedicated exhibition space, constructed as a standalone sunroom, is divided into a reading room and a living room. The reading room centers on the Eames couple's collected works and design publications, creating a contemplative space where knowledge, inspiration, and daily life converge. Visitors are invited to casually browse, sit quietly to read, and experience their philosophy of "designing for living."The living room, furnished with Herman Miller classics, presents an open and warm domestic scene, embodying the Eames' vision of modern home life where creativity, craftsmanship, and daily living are seamlessly integrated.
Curator Jacky and lifestyle artist Liu Xiaoxiao discuss how MCM has become the language of contemporary living—not merely a style choice, but an attitude that extends from daily life to business operations.
Speakers: Jacky (Founder of MCM Living) × Liu Xiaoxiao (Furniture Exporter / Lifestyle Artist)
Date: December 21, 2025 (Sunday) 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Curator Jacky and design critic Chicken Nuggets trace the evolution of post-war modern design, examining how designers like Eames and Nelson shaped the era's aesthetic through functionality and human-centered principles. They explore how design education can transform history into a driving force for contemporary creation. For design students, this offers a profound experience to rediscover the fundamental purpose of design.
Speakers: Jacky (Founder of MCM Living) × Mike Chicken Nuggets (Design Critic / Design Educator)
Date: January 18, 2025 (Sunday) 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Curator Jacky and furniture designer Wu Qihong engage in a dialogue about how design is reinterpreted through the lens of materials, craftsmanship, and culture, blending classic and contemporary perspectives. Under the MCM ethos, creation is not merely about replicating the past, but about continually defining "modernity" through honesty and innovation.
Speakers: Jacky (Founder of MCM Living) × Wu Qihong (Founder of Modern Poly)
Date: February 8, 2025 (Sunday) 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Curator Jacky and lifestyle artist Liu Xiaoxiao discuss how MCM has become the language of contemporary living—not merely a style choice, but an attitude that extends from daily life to business operations.
Speakers: Jacky (Founder of MCM Living) × Liu Xiaoxiao (Furniture Exporter / Lifestyle Artist)
Date: December 21, 2025 (Sunday) 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Curator Jacky and design critic Chicken Nuggets trace the evolution of post-war modern design, examining how designers like Eames and Nelson shaped the era's aesthetic through functionality and human-centered principles. They explore how design education can transform history into a driving force for contemporary creation. For design students, this offers a profound experience to rediscover the fundamental purpose of design.
Speakers: Jacky (Founder of MCM Living) × Mike Chicken Nuggets (Design Critic / Design Educator)
Date: January 18, 2025 (Sunday) 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Curator Jacky and furniture designer Wu Qihong engage in a dialogue about how design is reinterpreted through the lens of materials, craftsmanship, and culture, blending classic and contemporary perspectives. Under the MCM ethos, creation is not merely about replicating the past, but about continually defining "modernity" through honesty and innovation.
Speakers: Jacky (Founder of MCM Living) × Wu Qihong (Founder of Modern Poly)
Date: February 8, 2025 (Sunday) 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM