Mid Century Modern Design; How To Achieve It

What is Mid Century Modern

Mid-century modern design is a design movement that emerged in the mid-20th century, particularly between the 1940s and 1960s. It is characterized by a minimalist aesthetic, organic forms, and a focus on functionality. This style often features clean lines, uncluttered spaces, and a mix of traditional and non-traditional materials, including wood, chrome, and plastic.

4 Characteristics of mid-century modern design

1. Simplicity: Perhaps the most obvious feature of mid-century modern furniture is its minimalism. You won’t find ornate details, floral carvings, or shimmery mosaics on mid-century modern furniture. Instead, picture a sleek table with a plexiglass top, a pert couch with tapered wooden legs, or a light fixture made of clean, clear spheres of glass. 
2. Rich colors: Mid-century design often features graphic pops of color. Think jewel tones, comic book brights, and bold black and white.
3. Interplay between organic and bold: While mid-century design is graphic and simple, it is also, somehow, soft and inviting. An Eames chair mimics the gentle curve of a human body, yet presents itself as a perfectly symmetrical abstraction. Corners tend to be rounded, while cushions hold a firm shape. Patterns are simple and repetitive versus whimsical or textured.
4. Form and function work together: No mid-century living rooms or pieces of furniture are for display only; one defining feature of the aesthetic is an inviting, unpretentious utilitarianism. An Eames chair is not only a statement piece, but is also famously comfortable.

Here’s how to be your own mid-century modern interior designer

1. Give everything a home

The major defining characteristic of mid-century modern design is minimalism. It’s hard to attain the sleek, streamlined look of a mid-century modern masterpiece if your desk is covered with empty Pringles cans and your dining room table is being used as a coat rack. Think about hiding clutter in drawers, chic boxes, closets, or under-bed storage containers. You can also get creative with peg boards for storing office supplies and kitchen gadgets. Keeping your surfaces clean and clear will help you attain the minimalist effect.

2. Choose a color palette 

Color is an integral part of mid-century modern design. Since many pieces with this aesthetic include pops of color, it can be helpful to settle on a color scheme ahead of time to avoid clashing. 

Analogous color schemes, or color schemes formed by choosing three to five colors that are all next to each other on a color wheel (e.g., red, yellow, and orange, or blue, green, and purple) can work well with mid-century modern design to keep things looking sleek rather than cartoonishly colorful. Don’t forget to choose some black, white, and otherwise neutral pieces to draw your eye to the colorful pieces. 

3. Look for classic mid-century modern elements in every piece you purchase

While there’s an art to determining if a piece is authentic mid-century modern (that is, from the actual time period), determining if something has been created in the style of mid-century modern is much easier. Look for tapered legs, wood, lucite, leather, and tweed. 

If a piece has ornate decoration like hand-painted florals, carvings, lumpy cushions, rattan, gold painting, or looks like it could have once been placed on a farm, it’s not mid-century modern—it’s another style (possibly Art Deco) and likely will look out of place with a low, oval coffee table or imitation Eames chair.

4. Bring the outside in

Plants are a great way to achieve a mid-century modern look since the shape of the leaves tends to mimic the classic furniture’s organic shape. Fiddle leaf fig trees, monsteras, and rubber trees are all good bets. The bigger the better—plants offer an excellent opportunity to vary the height of the pieces in your apartment.

5. Play with scale

On that note, try playing with scale across the board. If you have a low coffee table, maybe an arc lamp would create a dramatic effect. Pair an oversized leather pillow with a small, round one on a couch. Or try tall candlesticks with a striking paperweight.

Although mid-century modern design was born more than 50 years ago, it still reigns supreme among universally appealing design trends due to its approachability and versatility. While there is a determined set of characteristics that make up the mid-century modern look, it’s also universal enough that you can put your own spin on it. So don’t be afraid to take that tapered-legged table and make it your own.

Why has the style endured in popularity more than half a century later?

Perhaps there’s something about the clean-lined pieces, organic shapes, and pops of color that feels simple in an increasingly complex, technology-driven world.

Enjoy assembling this if it matches your design style!

BB