Features & Ideas for a Mid-Century Modern Furniture Style
Faith Led Interior Design Show | Episode 14
Today’s episode is the ninth of a 12-part Interior Design Furniture Styles Series called, “What Is My Furniture Style?” The furniture style I’m going to talk about is the Mid-Century Modern Furniture Style.
The Mid-Century Modern furniture style is characterized by its clean lines, minimal decorations, bold colors, gentle curves, and organic shapes. This style originated in World War II to the mid-20th century - hence its name.
Thanks to its elegant simplicity and timeless aesthetic, Mid-Century Modern furniture is still highly popular in contemporary or modern interior design. If this simple style appeals to you, keep listening to learn more.
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Features & Ideas for a Mid-Century Modern Furniture Style
Origins of the Mid-Century Modern Furniture Style
The Mid Century Modern Furniture Style originates from about 1945-1965 and has seen a resurgence in the last few years. These were usually homes that were built after World War II.
The Mid Century Modern style home is a single-story home with a wide and open profile. Many times it has floor-to-ceiling windows. These ceilings are medium-high and vaulted. The ceilings can have beams or planks.
The overall feel is simple modern, natural and clean. Usually, the Mid Century Modern Style has an indoor-outdoor feeling. Having an open and functional living space is important for the people that love this style.
A well-designed Mid Century Modern Furniture Style home has drawn from the Scandinavian and Danish Modern eras and this combination has made this style much more lasting and accessible.
10 Characteristics of a Person Who Likes the Mid-Century Modern Furniture Style
People who love this style like simplicity and a touch of surprise.
Their home is a very open plan, usually, one-story, as light-filled as possible and it has a fresh, modern, and airy look or feel.
Likes the juxtaposition of textures like smooth walls with refined woods or brick.
This person is family-oriented and likes large windows that open to the outside - likes to see nature, the outdoors, and the kids playing.
5. The furniture, many times may be modern, well-made, and have a timeless feel.
6. Lasting quality and creative storage are usually a prerequisite of this style.
7. Vintage finds are exciting for people who like this style, especially if the fabrics are original.
8. These people focus on natural raw materials, such as refined woods, brick, metal, leather, and marble.
9. This person likes form and function in their designs, whether in the architecture, furniture, or accessories.
10. This Mid Century Modern person likes a mixture of both organic and geometric shapes.
Styling Ideas for a Person Who Designs Using the Mid-Century Modern Style
The Mid-Century Modern Style can have liberal use of light neutrals, browns, whites, blacks, and beiges on walls, cabinets, floors, and ceilings. In other words, neutral colors.
Another paint color approach may be to use vibrant retro colors such as ochre, burnt orange, browns and tans, mustard yellow, and charcoal grey on walls and cabinets, these too are all classics in this mid-century style.
Plain fabrics in vibrant colors are mainly used on sofas and chairs for effect.
Nature plays a big part in this style. Use plenty of plants to bring the outdoor-in feel.
Manmade materials like vinyl, plastic, lucite, and fiberglass can be combined with natural materials like wood, glass, metal, and marble. These are quite often used together in mid-century furniture design.
Fabrics need to have the visual appearance of durability and weight. For accent fabrics, such as for pillows, think heavy velvets, and heavy woven fabrics. Many times these accent fabrics have geometric or organic shapes in their colorful patterns.
Modern lighting is best with this style. The globe light was popularized by Joseph Eichler. Mr. Eichler was an accomplished real estate developer who raised over 11,000 homes between 1949 and 1961. Many of which were in the Walnut Creek, CA area where I raised my kids.
The original mid-century arc lamp was created by Flos, an Italian lighting design company in 1962. The founders, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, called it the Arco floor lamp.
The natural, well made and simple Scandanavian Style blends beautifully with the Mid Century Modern Style. The hairpin leg is a classic standard as metal legs on sofas, chairs, and tables.
Large and bold fine art paintings of the era, art crafted of wood, glass, or metal, and original mid-century sculptural art go along with the look of this style
Flooring for the Mid Century Modern Style can be terrazzo floors with chipped glass or rocks. polished concrete, cork floors, vinyl composite tile, and hardwood floors.
What Is Your Design Personality Style?
If you have not taken the Design Personality Style Quiz, go to Episode #3 to take it.
It is important to determine both your Design Personality Style and your Furniture Style.
The personality quiz is designed to work along with your furniture style. It is important to establish your interior design personality style first because it helps to determine your interior design furniture style.
Once you determine both your Interior Design Personality and your Furniture Style, it makes shopping so much easier and less stressful. The reason is that you now shop only for your personality and furniture styles. It eliminates all the other personality types and furniture styles that really are not yours.
Determine your personality style and furniture style or styles first and then continue with your interior design plan.
What’s Next For You?
The 3 ETHNIC FURNITURE STYLES are:
My Country _________: France, China, India, etc. - Episode 15
Scandanavian Furniture Style - Episode 16
Bohemian Furniture Style - Episode 17
Now, Stop Dreaming, Start Designing your luxury home within your budget! Blessings and See you next episode…
Examples of the Mid-Century Modern Furniture Style
If you would like to see examples of furnishings that go along with this, visit Sheree’s Shop on my website and scroll down to the Mid-Century Modern Furniture Style. There you will see sofas, sectionals, chairs, coffee tables, lamps, area rugs, and accessories in this style.
Resource
Get a free copy of the 2022 Interior Design Trends report and the 2022 RESA - Home Staging Report.
Take the quiz here to determine your Interior Design Personality.
Browse samples of the furnishings that can go with your style here.
