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45+ Irresistibly Stylish Midcentury Modern Living Room Idea

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1

Velvet Revelry

Rich Stapleton

In the living room of the Goldwyn house, an iconic residence in Los Angeles that’s now the home of the Future Perfect gallery, a jewel-toned lounge is swathed in velvet and overseen by a handwoven rattan chandelier by artist Chris Wolston. Though this scheme deftly mixes eras, the clean lines throughout and the dark stained wood feels distinctly midcentury.

2

Ethereal Details

Tim Lenz

Another spin on midcentury modern: this calming New York apartment that features subtle nods to the vintage look. Organic and geometric shapes punctuate the space through lighting fixtures and seating arrangements. All softened by a warm ivory color (Baby Fawn by Benjamin Moore) and parquet wood flooring. The designer, Augusta Hoffman, says that in such a small space, form over function was top of mind. “Every single surface needs to be usable, and every single chair needs to be really, really comfortable,” she told ELLE DECOR.

3

Harmonious Hues

Sam Frost

If you’re looking to mix styles and eras, this early Frank Gehry home is a study in harmonious contrast. Gehry’s signature Deconstructivist style and spare palette works with the neutral tones, luxurious materials, and rounded contours. Take, for examples, the living room’s lush Mario Bellini mohair sofa (an icon of 1970s design), the handwoven Scandinavian wool rug balancing out the concrete floors, and the concrete fireplace counteracted with a warm woodgrain patterns.

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4

Warm Palette

Sam Frost

This sitting area in the same home is furnished with an array of vintage finds, like a 1955 Pierre Jeanneret office chair that pays homage to the modernist look—with lively additions like Robert Loughlin’s painting, which features his iconic, square-chinned, cigarette-smoking figure he called “the brute. ”

5

True to Form

Elsa Young/Bureaux

Built in the 1950s, this Johannesburg gem was designed by Eyvind Finsen, a South African architect who was inspired by Richard Neutra. The homeowners (architects themselves), Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, designed this with one question in mind. “We asked ourselves, ‘What would the natural progression of a Palm Springs bungalow be today?’” Rech says. The answer? This living room flaunts a leather sofa by Flexform, a vintage black leather chair (bottom left) by Joe Colombo, and a custom angular cocktail table. Our favorite detail? A playful leaf chandelier by Xavier Clarisse. We’re taking a walk on the wild side now.

6

Mixed Materials

Stephen Kent Johnson

For Pamela Shamshiri, leaning into the midcentury aesthetic isn’t enough. In this Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles designed by Paul László, Shamshiri looked to the famed designer’s quirky yet functional furniture for inspiration on several custom pieces, including a stripped-down, blocky burl-wood sofa in the living room that contrasts with a plush, unconventionally L-shaped sofa. Our favorite detail? The jewel-like custom tiled bar cabinet, which provides an ornamental focal point for the living room—and proof that both tile and wood don’t belong only on the floor.

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7

A Room with a View

Stephen Kent Johnson

In the same Pacific Palisades living room, two seating areas were created to flank the original midcentury freestanding fireplace. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the Pacific, while tinted mirrors reflect garden views. If this studied interplay between historic and contemporary isn’t evidence that this design style can evolve, we don’t know what is.

8

Vertical Vibes

Trevor Tondro

Went a little midcentury-happy with the classic low-slung tufted couch? Repurposed objects, like this vintage Eames screen and tall floor lamps, help draw the eye upward, as they do in Sophia Bush’s stunning retro Hollywood home.

9

Green with Envy

Stephen Kent Johnson

Designer Pamela Shamshiri is bringing back all the quintessentially midcentury green vibes in this Pacific Palisades den, which boasts shapely vintage furniture alongside contemporary artwork and light fixtures.

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10

No-Holds-Barred

Chris Mottalini

Whoever said midcentury consisted solely of earth tones? This colorful Long Island dig is sprinkled with graphic pops of bright green and bold yellow hues, which create an interplay between organic and splashy. “The house reminded me of a place that Joni Mitchell would have lived in in Laurel Canyon in the ’70s,” homeowner Linda Rodin told ELLE DECOR. “And that was my fantasy.”

11

Modular Fittings

Kris Tamburello

Drumroll, please, for the crowning jewel of the midcentury look: the crescent-shaped couch. As charming as it is functional (nobody’s left hanging at the edge of the couch in this circular arrangement), this Lejeune sofa, upholstered in a Dedar velvet with Scalamandre’s Maquis Tapestry Agave on the back, is the true blue-eyed wonder in this stunning tropical retreat.

12

A Soothing Space

Shade Degges

Indoor-outdoor living is all the rage right now, but of course it’s nothing new. In the formal family gathering spot of this soothing Malibu, California, home, sliding doors open to the backyard. Wooden oak accents and lush foliage further soften the space and create a seamless integration.

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13

Indoor or Outdoor?

Trevor Tondro

To say that this midcentury gem of a house has good bones is a massive understatement. Cynics, say your worst, we’d be hard pressed to find a naysayer of this three-bedroom located in Beverly Hills. With an arched lighting fixture that adds variation to the living room’s sleek architectural lines, the most difficult daily decision would be whether or not to take your breakfast in the light-filled living room or just beyond for some vitamin D.

14

Quartzite Quality

Trevor Tondro

If the final aesthetic feels utterly now, it is because midcentury architecture was ahead of its time, says the owner of this Beverly Hills home. “The proportions—low, hovering—are all about inserting into nature and being minimal,” he notes. “That’s so important as we think about sustainability. How do we insert ourselves into the landscape without taking over?” Mission accomplished in this living room, which features a marble cocktail table by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia and a quartzite wall above the home’s original brass fireplace.

15

Modest Furnishings

Roger Davies

For Kovac Design Studio, a discerning eye sometimes necessitates a streamlined approach. In the great room of Todd Feldman’s retreat in La Quinta, California, neutral furnishings are paired with Warren Platner chairs that echo the house’s wooden accents. The muted color scheme allows that attention be drawn, first, to the home’s fabulous roof line.

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16

Hollywood Haven

Roger Davies

Nothing brings back midcentury nostalgia like a classic black-and-white flick. In this cinematic desert home, Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 film, Breathless, is projected on a custom motorized screen in the great room, which features a floating theater with a glass railing over a curtained bar area—a seamless merging of old and new that harks back to the good old days without stepping too far out of the here and now.

17

Silver-Screen Style

Roger Davies

This seven-bedroom, 9,200-square-foot vacation house at the private Madison Club in La Quinta, California, is Palm Springs pad as boutique hotel, with Mad Men flourishes, a bar ready for Out of Sight–level seduction, and a concession stand stocked for Fight Night. Designer Kovac Design Studio leaned into midcentury features like low-slung furniture and floor-to-ceiling wood paneling. Cue all the drama, on both sides of the screen!

18

Screen-Worthy

John Ellis

Powerhouse set-design duo David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco saved and restored a 1956 bungalow in Santa Barbara, California, and their interior composition is a contender for most stage sets. In this living room, a pair of lounge chairs by Milo Baughman surround an Eames cocktail table covered in gold leaf. The walls and hearth are painted in a subtle Green Ground by Farrow & Ball, and the ceiling is lined with Douglas fir.

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19

Midcentury, Redefined

Lance Gerber

This midcentury Palm Springs house is going way beyond the design playbook, and we’re not complaining. Give that retro look a contemporary spin with chic all-black seating and juxtaposing loud-and-proud wall bling—red triptych by artist Ko Kirk Yamahira—that anchors the fireplace wall. Desert modern never looked so luxe.

20

Subtle Style

Trevor Tondro

In this living room, vintage Barcelona chairs, back-to-back sofas by William Haines, an Arco lamp by Achille Castiglioni, and a floor lamp by Dragonette; the wall is sheathed in Venetian plaster, the ceiling is cedar, and the floors are poured-in-place terrazzo.

Rachel Silva

Assistant Digital Editor

Rachel Silva, the Assistant Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, covers design, architecture, trends, and anything to do with haute couture. She has previously written for Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Citywire.

Lucia Tonelli

Assistant Editor

Lucia Tonelli is an Assistant Editor at Town & Country, where she writes about the royal family, culture, real estate, design, and more. 

30 Mesmerizing Mid-Century Modern Living Rooms And Their Design Guides

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Design enthusiasts praise the mid-century modern style – but what is it, exactly? Coined by author Cara Greenberg in her 1984 collection, mid-century modern refers to pieces from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s which pushed the limits of engineering. Desperate for creativity after World War II, famed designers took war materials and molded them into iconic chairs, tables, and lights – goods still sought after and replicated - furniture whose design was never bettered. Follow our detailed guide and links on how to incorporate mid-century modern pieces – and the style’s philosophy of good living – into your own inspired living room full of 50’s wonder.

Make mid-century modern look effortless. Fit your lounge with the high, wooden windows typical of the style, using a tilter to afford fresh air. By using wooden-legged furniture, here a peach accent chair, nested coffee tables and long three-seater, your interior can offer difference without one piece dominating. Light a swing arm wall lamp like this, beside a Bell table lamp by Tom Dixon to pair matching metallics. Sprigs of poppies could add focus behind your couch, as ferns pop up in planters across your living room. By matching a leather floor pouf to your wooden joinery, you can provide a place to read books surrounding the TV.

Imagine mid-century modern away on holiday. Use shades of white, turquoise and gold beside an artificial Areca palm to create an everyday getaway. Stretch a Jute rug beneath your couches to add a dash more colour, and tie metallic end tables, each featuring three rounds of glass, into hues for leaf-patterned pillows. Prism coffee tables can further catch the eye with triangular legging, as a large arc floor lamp bends over the scene. Light up a wall of windows with the day’s incoming sun, finishing with turquoise tunes in a tufted floor pillow, couch cushions and table ornaments.

As day sets, settle for something warmer. Heat up a more masculine scene with a ceiling-held fireplace beside a white Wegner-style shell chair. Sit a wood and metal coffee table on a Jute rug to centre the space. Two Wegner Papa Bear-style chairs can cuddle up beside a monochrome ottoman, while a couch in the same hue can offer more snuggling. Polish off your interior with grass views through glass panes.

Grey and light wood are classic mid-century modern hues. Keep warmth in your living room with wooden walls on either side, while grey hues in your floor, seating and Jackson Pollock painting (here the number 14 in Gray) keep it spacious. Use the style’s ceiling-height windows to bring in light, and an Axis floor lamp to bring a focused glow to seating. With the Axis’ golden base harking to the seat and square coffee table’s legs, it’s easy to add glitz to this relaxed scene.

Think outside the square when designing inside. House trees in hand-blown glass, a table in spotted driftwood and a Jute rug in natural weave. Insert wooden-frame lounge chairs and floors to make it more modern, and two spiralling wall ornaments to match their tone. Ceramics in jade and lots of white – here shown in the lounges, walls and chaise longue – create breathing space for your outdoorsy interior.

Create the look with different materials and textures. To design an eclectic, yet not overpowering, living room, coat your seating brown in leather Barcelona-style chairs, mid-century modern classic chairs, and a blue metal accent chair in the Platner style. Join together a marble coffee table, metallic standing lamp and tulip-style end tables to create a lounge that looks ever so put-together.

Mid-century modern was originally created for smaller spaces. Use a brown leather sofa like the room above, but create your own vibe with a lightbulb pendant and dreamscape surfing photography. Let geometrics linger in a pentagon-legged coffee table and grey patterned rug. A range of potted plants, most notably here the Boston fern, can sit with your objects and photos to tie the look in.

Looking a little larger, this living room uses brown as an accent for notable pieces. To achieve this look, sit a demure mid-century sofa upon a varnished floor in the hue. Face two chairs in the style towards the couch for conversation, letting a sofa cushion, framed print and turntable box match them in colour. By using classic mid-century modern pieces, here a geometric-legged coffee table and standing swing lamp, you can add nature in potted ferns and an artificial ZZ plant. Lie a red Turkish rug upon your floor to suggest travel and avoiding jarring colours.

The mid-century look can look super-modern – although its pieces have never changed. Make like this sloped-roof living room and use a couple of masterpieces, such as the Verner Panton S-style chair and cheeky Ray Eames elephant. Other interesting finds, like the tortoise with the elephant, or red shell couch to the back, can add character. Build ceiling-height windows and rows of long wooden bookshelving to cement your interior’s mid-century modern influence.

Metallics are not just for the 21st Century. Employ them as feature pieces, by hanging a convex wall round and sitting a large copper floor lamp on your floor. Add hints of blue in a Myers sofa and rug to match patterned wallpaper, lending the blue to more knitted poufs. Finish with a few florals in a vase full of snapdragons, printed cushion and leaning stamen painting.

Create an entertaining area the 50’s greats would’ve been proud of. If decorating for a large, high-windowed space, scale up its walls with widely-spaced wooden panels, a series of white pendants and a large abstract artwork. Cover the floors and fireplace with red brick, keeping it warm with a large faux fur rug. Create a space for a chaise longue, Tom Dixon Wingback and school chairs, letting a rounded coffee table meet another in a triangle. Complete the look with a wistful baby grand and standing lamp for company.

Don’t be scared to have colour at your centre. Draw in the eye with a psychedelic piece beside a relaxed leather sofa set and geometric marble coffee table. Use light wood to softly cover your chair legs, shelving and wood stack, a potted tree to add nature.

Keep it classic in black, white and brown. Signal an eclectic style with dotted framed abstracts, abstracts like these or these. Employ a range of seating styles to populate your area, such as the Arne Jacobsen-style Egg chair, and a golden floor lamp to match your coffee table. Woollen textures can get cosy in fluffy ottomans, rugs, throws and cushions, whilst plants, such as the natural or artificial Fiddle Leaf Fig, can be presented for show.

Baby boomers will remember this decor of their parent’s style. Get nostalgic with a white and wooden frame, centred by a blue wall featuring a bookcase. Place two white sofas beside many smaller windows, and two tripod plant stands to bring the outside in. Draw in guests with a mid-century modern coffee table holding a Russel Wright pitcher full of roses, adding a geometric console in the 50’s style. A bookcase can stand as your final relic, full of vases and picture frames below a George Nelson-style ball clock spreading out its rays.

Get cosy with 50’s-style colouring. Relax your orange and grey room in three types of seating amidst mid-century style table lamps, available here and here. Hang two rectangular framed prints mirroring the shape of the windows. Design your furniture in light wood to keep it cohesive. Use a modern chair to drive in the accent color.

Grey and orange couldn’t look more different in this open plan rendition. Break colour dominance in your living room with two berry chairs and the Noguchi glass coffee table by Herman Miller, now available as an original or replica. Match its shine with a Flos Arco-style lamp gleaming silver in the corner, adding a hint of life with wooden plant stands. We recommend a simple grey rug and shelved ornaments to finish.

Heavily influenced by 30’s painter Mondrian, this living room uses mostly geometric shapes, shapes that Mondrian believed were of a higher nature. Open your living room to a bold feature wall almost copied from his pieces, falling to a triangular-patterned rug and chairs in block colouring. Allow breathing space by decorating with simple windows, white walls and a wooden table, console and floor.

Lucky enough to be surrounded by windows? Clothe your interior in charcoal, like this unique space. Showcase a ceiling-high feature fireplace amongst wooden accent chairs, adding small pops of colour in couch cushions, magazines, and two pieces of abstract art.

After more muted hues? Colour your furniture in teal and taupe, bordered by white walls and patterned floors. Matching wooden legs and a stone bookcase provide a good background for an Orient pendant looping over your wall.

Make your living room warmer, with a floor and half-wall in the polished wood of the style. Wrap a stone-coloured L-sofa around your windows, complementing the look with a white lined rug. Play with iconic pieces such as a Platner-style coffee table, black Swan-style chair and Serge Mouille floor lamp peeping over your sofa. Offer a spot by the fire with an Eames-style walnut stool. Splash turquoise about in hued watercolours and cushions.

Keep it warm yet light with wood and orange tones. Carve a wooden roof with rafters over a stark white floor, diffusing your bright orange wall with a rug in brown checkers. Opt for an Eames lounge chair, available as an original or replica, to tie your TV and orange hues together. A suite in taupe could look out to a Noguchi table, whose Herman Miller original and now-available replica are iconic of this style. Complete the look with a fireplace, cushions and vases.

Make the most of a beautiful outdoor view, with a few mid-century modern pieces. Wind a cream L-sofa beside a unique end table, here the iconic Platner side table, whose oscillating bands reflect the midday sun. Adding a lower side table, ball lamp and classic fluffy rug can make this look last a lifetime.

Decorate your living room a la Mad Men. Make the most of your high windows with a marble centre, brown leather seating and unique ceiling fans shown here. Pepper your lounge with standing lamps and an olive green armchair, for a perfect place to relax and watch the show.

Design like the Eames’ – using their own Pacific Palisades living room as inspiration. Take cues from their contemporary Mondrian, and build double-height windows and high wooden bookcases with his rectangular forms. Nest amidst a bevy of indoor plants, using the Eames’ chair designs and iconic bird, available as an Eames Bird replica. Fill vases with flowers, lean a ladder to the ceiling and add hanging paper lanterns to complete your homage.

Designed by architect Eero Saarinen for the industrialist J. Irwin Miller, this also-famous home was the beginning of a once-burgeoning trend – the conversation pit. Get inspired by Spanish and Middle Eastern influences, and construct a pink-couched depression in the middle of your floor, offering a space for focused chat. Scatter differently-coloured cushions to complement an iron table, figure and pot. A few roses in and out of the pit can also pretty up the scene.

Centre your mid-century modern living room around a rug. Take a bright-coloured Cubic rug and set it upon a wooden floor, inviting companionship with black chairs in the style. Accent the look with a marble standing fireplace and retro-style floor lamp.

White and wood mixes with grey and blue in this mid-century modern interior. Light its décor with a modern fireplace illuminating pockets of wood holding ornaments and frames. Starburst wall décor can act as your headline piece, while a shaggy rug, gold-rimmed table and geometric cushions create your home’s rested guests.

Looking for more modern adaptations of the mid-century modern style? These last three interiors should yield inspiration. This particular look, blessed with the décor’s high windows, can be achieved using more muted shades of wood to cover your floors and walls. Replace the style’s characteristic floor lamps with LEDs lighting each wall. Place a rug in the centre, and stand a plethora of chair styles in more recent materials. A low marble table can act as your room’s pivot point.

Use the classic mid-woods of the mid-century modern style, but throw distressed floorboards and charcoal into the mix. Go for the classic look with wooden window joinery, a Wegner-style Shell, mid-century style console and voluptuous bookshelf. Make it more modern with framed prints, not paintings; a rug that’s neat, not shaggy; and a central couch and ottoman that match a modern pendant.

Make mid-century modern work with a sunny veranda. Employ the starburst wall décor and laden bookshelves of old, adding a lime couch and black-painted floorboards. Add a central fireplace and rug to show evolution of the style. A Noguchi-style coffee table and faux sheepskin pillows can further twist the classics.


Recommended Reading:
58 Mid Century Modern Furniture Selections to Help You Recapture the Era
Ultimate Guide To Mid Century Modern Chairs
36 Stylish Mid Century Modern Coffee Tables
51 Mid Century Modern Dining Tables for a Timeless Dining Room Refresh

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Bright palette, simple rounded shapes, furniture on graceful legs - the characteristic features of mid-century Art Nouveau are easily recognized even by those who hear about it for the first time. The direction, which arose in the 50s of the last century, surprisingly harmoniously fits into modern design. We will tell you what you need to know about mid-century modern and how to introduce this style into your interior.

What is mid-century modern

Mid-century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s. - this was the title of a 1983 book by American journalist Kara Greenberg, which gave its name to a whole trend in the art of the mid-20th century. Mid-century modern or mid-century modern originated in America in the 1950s. It became the most popular trend in design, architecture and sculpture of the time.

This style is easily recognizable by its streamlined shapes, clear lines and bright colors. Mid-Century Modern emerged in response to specific changes in post-war American society that would later affect the rest of the world. Luxury has lost its relevance, at the same time, the consumer activity of the population has grown. The middle class became the dominant social group. These people needed simple, affordable and convenient things.

Defense enterprises were converted to the production of goods for civilian life. Furniture is beginning to be produced on an industrial scale, and for this to be possible, it must have simple shapes and be made from relatively cheap materials: plywood, plastic, acrylic, wood, aluminum.

The emergence of Mid-Century Art Nouveau was largely influenced by German architects and designers who emigrated from the United States after World War II. That is why this design movement has adopted the features of the German style of the Bauhaus and other modernist movements.

Mid-century Modern is spreading rapidly in Europe and Scandinavia. In fact, it was the first trend in contemporary art that was formed in response to a specific consumer request, and not an abstract artistic idea. The population needed an inexpensive, practical, beautiful life - mid-century modernism provided it to them.

Formally, the name mid-century modern also applies to Soviet furniture of that time, but this classification is only a convention. The furniture that was then produced in the USSR was just copies of Western models, and not the most successful ones. Therefore, it has no artistic value of its own.

Mid-Century Modern is back in style today, and for several reasons. Due to economic crises, people again need comfort and practicality more than luxury. In addition, in recent years, the trend towards nostalgia for different decades of the second half of the 20th century has been increasing. In addition, mid-century modern is a universal and almost timeless style, which means it will find application in any era.

Read related: 6 ways to diversify the interior of a rented apartment

Style features

Wide range of colors

In the mid-century modern color palette, everyone is sure to find a combination to their liking. Shades in the interior of this style range from neutral to the brightest. The typical interior colors of Mid-Century Art Nouveau are white, black, muted oranges, smoky blues, deep yellows and olives.

The minimalism of the forms in this modernist trend is compensated by the brightness of the color and the decorativeness of the drawings. It is characterized by the use of catchy prints: geometric, floral, stylized as pop art. They are added to the interior with accent wallpaper, carpet or fabrics.

Minimalist streamlined shapes

Mid-Century Modern furniture is characterized by simplicity, soft streamlined shapes, lightness and grace. There are no elaborate decorative elements, complex or bulky designs in their design. The simplicity of the forms is compensated by the bright upholstery.

A combination of soft curves and sharp corners

Despite the love of streamlined shapes, Mid-Century Modern loves contrast not only in color, but also in geometry. The smooth rounded silhouette of an armchair, sofa or chair in it can coexist with sharp legs. In mid-century modern, there is no longer the rigid forms of early modernity, but there is still an emphasis on geometry.

Furniture with legs

Another recognizable feature in the interior of the 50s is that all the furniture is raised above the floor. Legs were not only for tables and chairs, but also for armchairs, sofas, chests of drawers and other items. Most often they were made of chrome-plated steel or wood.

Furniture was raised above the floor to emphasize the lightness and spaciousness of the room. It is thanks to the legs that the furniture of that time looks so elegant.

Versatility

The main advantage of mid-century modern is its versatility. Today, this style creates an amazing impression: it is both vintage, as it refers to the 50s, but also modern, because minimalism and practicality are still in trend. Items in the style of mid-century modern fit perfectly into almost any interior. Due to the lack of pronounced details, they are easy to combine with things of different styles, such as art deco.

The versatility of Mid-Century Art Nouveau will be especially appreciated by those who are not ready to radically change the style of the interior, but only want to give it a fresh direction.

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Mid Century Modern style in the interior

Eclectic or minimalist, modern or retro? All this is in the mid-century. Choose your side!

The unceasing love for the style of the middle of the last century is quite natural: clear lines, emphasized functionality, deep colors and a fresh mix of various materials free the style from time and rigid rules. Simple, aesthetic, very comfortable - mid-century modern fits into the modern lifestyle like no other with our speed and living in apartment buildings.

Origins and development of mid-century modern

Bauhaus interior design

preference for functional design and the rejection of the unnecessary luxury of classic styles.

The war and post-war reconstruction led to massive changes in the economy and technology. At this time, cities were growing in the states, the need for modern furniture for new, quickly built houses with open floor plans, huge windows and natural light increased. Technological advances have led to the development of new materials allowing for new textures, colors and shapes.

Look, for example, at one of the houses replicating the style of the cult architect Joseph Eichler in the 1950s. Optimal use of a small space, a deep connection with nature, a comfortable, cozy courtyard.

Mid-Century Modern adhered to the following rules:

Functionality comes first, design follows and adjusts to function

The post-war economy changed the focus of consumption in the average American family. Most of the furniture had to fold, unfold, transform, interchange and follow only one principle - to be comfortable.

Clean, smooth lines of simple geometric shapes

A clean and modern look for rooms comes from simple lines and smooth surfaces. For style, geometric minimalism is important, each detail of which serves a specific function and is in its place. Large and heavy furniture has been replaced by light and airy spaces with neat proportions.

The use of different, sometimes contrasting materials

The post-war surge of new materials, especially plastic and organic glass, inspired designers to experiment. Natural and artificial materials freely connected with each other in the same room or even object.

Mid-century designers loved to mix traditional materials such as wood, metal and glass with non-traditional materials such as vinyl, plywood, plexiglass (organic glass), plastics, fiberglass. For the first time, plastic was used not as an imitation of more expensive materials (like wood), but on its own.

A wide range of colors

Mid-Century Modern is a warm and optimistic style that envelops the owners with its cosiness thanks to positive color schemes. The choice is unlimited.

Combine warm natural colors: olive green and burnt grass, mustard and pumpkin, clove and poppy. Use deep stylish shades: flashy pink, rich gray, turquoise, graphic black. Add traditional colors: burgundy, blue, emerald green. Don't forget bright sugar shades for plastic items and textiles. Yes, and do not interfere with bare textures: wood, metal, marble, concrete, brickwork.

Various textures

Textures and patterns are essential to any contemporary minimalist style. Warm carpets, stone fireplaces, a smooth glass table, ceramic tiles, a plastic armchair, leather upholstery, a straw pouffe and geometric patterned textiles make the room even more interesting. Bright abstract patterns appear on paintings, pillows, accessories.

Geometric lighting

Floor lamps or geometric chandeliers follow two rules: either round, curved contours or straight, clean lines. As a rule, lighting objects are made of metal, but sometimes there are wooden legs. Unique lamps do not just do their job, but are a kind of work of art.

You can mix individual pieces of furniture or lighting with other interior styles.

Unique furniture

The furniture of the time stands out for its straight, clean lines, the combination of different materials, with smooth curved corners.

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