Mid-Century Modern Decor & Design Elements

Mid-century modern home decor is quickly becoming a popular decorating style. On the heels of successful mid-century television shows like Mad Men, people across the country are opting for a 1960s style interior, or at least a few elements that represent the style! Mid-century modern decor is great for anyone who loves minimalistic design and warm brown hues.

If you’d like to learn more about decorating in the mid-century modern style, then keep reading as this post will give you a basic overview of the mid-century decor core elements!

Mid-Century Modern Design

The most popular and well known elements of mid-century style come from the 1950s and 1960s, when straight lines and smooth curves formed the basis of much mid-century furniture. Mid-century modern design was partially influenced by Bauhaus style – a minimalist rejection of the intricate and ornate decorative elements that were popular during the very early 20th century.

Finding original mid-century modern furniture in good condition can be a challenge, like most period-piece shopping. Luckily, this style is still very much in fashion and you can find affordable furniture and decorative elements in the mid-century modern style, even if they are not authentically vintage.

West Elm is probably the mass retailer most closely associated with contemporary mid-century furniture and decor. With West Elm, you’ll get a great combination of style, quality and price. If you’re looking to shop for mid-century modern furniture and decor, then I recommend these retailers:

Knoll: Designer-approved authentic productions, very expensive
Design Within Reach: Original, licenses productions, high quality investment pieces
Interior Icons: Affordable, quality replicas priced in the mid-range
Eternity Modern: Affordable replicas that won’t break the bank
Industry West: Mid-century inspired everyday furniture designs
AllModern: Cheap mid-century design, but you have to dig to find what you want

Today I’d like to share some core mid-century modern design elements that you can keep an eye out for when designing your home.

Mid-Century Modern Structural Elements

Let’s start off by sharing some common structural elements of mid-century modern home design.

Geometric Forms

The mid century mod look was characterized by geometric forms, often repeating themselves into patterns. From rugs to light fixtures, there’s always interesting minimalist shapes present in a mid-mod home.

Mid-century modern geometric rug: Mid-Century Modern Decor & Design Elements — Article

Wood Paneling

On the walls of a mid-mod home, you’ll often find vertical knotty wood paneling in a dark brown finish. Sometimes the paneling is vertical and other times, it’s horizontal!

Wool Paneling in Mid-century Modern Bedroom via JamieBushCo — Jamie Bush Co

Mamie Pink Tile in the Bathroom

Perhaps the most whimsical mid-century modern design element is the Mamie pink tile bathroom. “Mamie” is a reference to the former first lady of the United States, Mamie Eisenhower, of course. During the 1950s, Mamie’s love for pink was well publicized. Everything from her pink inauguration dress to her pink Gettysburg home bathroom caught the attention of women across the country. A love for pink bathrooms was thus ignited.

Mid-century modern pink tile bathroom via 2lgstudio — 2LG Studio

Pops of Color: Orange, aqua, mustard yellow and red

Desaturated fall colors seemed to be everywhere in mid-century modern decor. Keep an eye out for pumpkin oranges, mustard yellows, deep reds and even some popping aquas!

Pops of color in mid-century modern decor via @melodrama — @melodrama

Open Shelf Room Dividers

Open shelf dividers in various geometric forms are often found in mid-century style homes. These room dividers are practical and help break up large spaces. You can store books, objects, and photo frames in the various small shelves.

Midcentury Room Divider Shelves, circa 1960s via 1stdibs — 1stdibs

Glass Walls and Large Glass Windows

Glass walls are a quintessential element of mid-century home structures. These large walls let in a ton of light, and are most often found in rural, remote homes. Obviously, you wouldn’t want your home open for the neighbors to see!

Mid-Mod Color Palette

Here is a visual representation of the colors most associated with mid-century design.

Mid-Century Modern Furniture

There are so many beautiful mid-century modern furniture items, some of which held lasting power and are found in modern day homes, too. Be sure to read about the most iconic mid-century modern chair designs, too.

These are the most popular mid-century furniture pieces:

Dark Brown Wood Furniture
Two-Tier Coffee Table
Credenza
Eames Lounge Chair
Hairpin legs
Eames Molded Plastic Armchair
Noguchi table
Pastoe wire chair
Tulip Chairs
Tulip Tables
Womb Chair
Brass bar cart
Platform Bed

Mid-Century Modern Decorations

Here are a few common mid-century modern home decorations:

Starburst Clock / Sunburst Clock
Pop Art or Abstract Expressionist Art
Arc Floor Lamp
Artichoke Pendant Lamp
Sputnik chandelier
Circular shag rug
Geometric Pillows & Rugs

Famous Mid-Century Modern Designers

These are the most famous mid-century modern designers to know. With a few exceptions, the majority of these designers came from the Scandinavian and norther European regions.

Herman Miller
George Nelson
Eero Saarinen
Harry Bertoia
Arne Jacobsen
Charles Eames and Ray Eames
Isamu Noguchi
Verner Panton
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Marcel Breuer

Mid-Century Modern Room Decor Inspiration

Here are a few examples of amazing mid-century modern interior design.

Living Room

This gorgeous mid-mod living room was designed by @melodrama, a woman who is truly living the mid-century modern dream! She purchased a mid-century house in Palm Springs, California (the epicenter of American mid-century design) and is slowly restoring it and decorating it with furniture and decorations from the mid-century period. Check out the best retro Mid-Century Modern Living Room ideas.