Looking to get the Mad Men vibe into your home but stuck as to where to start? Well, stop fretting as you have come to the right place! Although this style can be easy to incorporate, it can make your interiors look dated if not properly executed. The key to getting it right is in understanding its history and then carefully balancing the mid-century furniture pieces with the contemporary design trends. So, let’s get started!
What is Mid-Century Modern Design Style?
The mid-century modern style is a sleek, simple, and iconic style which was popular between the 1930s and the 1960s. Heavily influenced by the design concept of “form follows function”, this style is often characterized by clean & simple lines, organic forms, lots of natural wood, and minimal decoration. Some people also refer to it as “Mid Mod”.
It was the first style that was really focused on having a seamless transition between the indoors and the outdoors!
How to Identify a Mid Mod Furniture Piece?
The mid-century modern furniture have a light, open and airy feel. You can look for clean, simple lines that are either straight or simply curved; splayed, tapered or hairpin legs that are raised off of the floor; seating that is subtly tufted; and a lack of ornamentation when trying to identify a mid mod furniture piece. Their shapes are timeless, so they can be easily paired with other styles particularly with contemporary.
Some of the iconic mid-century furniture pieces include:
What Materials to Look Out For?
Natural materials dominate this style, wood being the most commonly used, especially teak and walnut. Other materials include polished metal, fiberglass, Lucite, glass, stainless steel, brass, and molded plastic. In softer materials, look out for leather, linen, heavy wool, jute, sisal, and burlap.
For flooring, medium to dark-toned wood floors is the most popular with wool, shag, or jute rugs.
Which Colors to Use?
For a mid-century modern color palette, try mustard yellow, pumpkin orange, and avocado green. Use these sparingly and pair it up with neutrals like white, cream, dark brown, beige, and gray. You can also use bright blues, deep reds, deep purple, fuchsia, etc. For a more contemporary look, you can also pick pastel hues.
How to Complete the Mid-Century Modern Look?
To finish off the look, go for artistic and iconic lighting pieces such as the Sputnik or bubble chandelier, Artichoke lamp, balloon pendant, Arco floor lamp, tripod lamp, etc. Pair it up with accessories like a sunburst mirror, a George Nelson clock, some brass candlestick holders, a vintage brass bar cart, pretty old-fashioned glassware, hand-carved wood items, oversized abstract artwork or vintage inspired prints, bold geometric or abstract patterned cushions & rugs. Incorporating some house plants is also very important to complete the look.
Lastly, it’s also important to play with the heights of the furniture and accessories so as not to let your space look too uniform. For eg.: pair a low sofa and coffee table with a high arc lamp to mix up the heights and complete the space. Finally, remember that less is more when decorating with this style and hence avoid clutter.
