Here's Everything a Midcentury Modern Living Room Needs
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There's a reason why midcentury modern design is perhaps even more more popular today than it was when it emerged in the late 1940s. It's a hodgepodge of other design styles: Take the warmth of Scandinavian design and the industrial materials of modernism, infuse them with a fascination in the space age and the optimism of the postwar boom, and you've got it. In its heyday, from the late 1940s to the 1960s, the midcentury modern design style turned out unique silhouettes and hopeful, futuristic concepts for interiors and architecture that people still covet. If you want your home to capture the era, we think the room you likely spend the most time in—your living room—is the best place to start. Plus, some of the most iconic midcentury modern pieces are sofas and seating. To help you kick off your decorating project, we've compiled a list of some of our favorite midcentury modern living rooms for inspiration.
Thankfully, finding affordable midcentury modern furniture isn't too difficult. Many items from the period are still in production, and you can find good-quality pieces in the style of the originals. Browse estate sales and online auctions, and you can score vintage gems that will make you the envy of your design-loving friends. Besides specific pieces, which are usually organic in shape with sharp details, there are certain colors and accents—like martini olive green and wood paneling—that scream midcentury modern and will look great in your living room.
If names like Eames and Bertoia and Wegner get you excited, scroll on to see designer midcentury modern living rooms that will persuade you to give in and fully embrace the aesthetic. There's no reason not to—this design style isn't going anywhere.
Install a Unique Light Fixture
A large, geometric light fixture is the perfect main light source for a midcentury modern living room. Nina Garbiras drew attention to the industrial elements of this New York City loft with the ceiling light, then brought in contemporary furniture to complement it.
Embrace Contrasts
Midcentury modern design is all about geometric patterns and shapes, so pairing curved details, like this table lamp, with crisp lines, like those of this couch, is a way to capture the style without being too on the nose. Here, Nina Garbiras chose neutral furnishings "to highlight the architectural details and the view," she says, and brought in the aesthetic in subtler ways.
Balance Modern and Traditional
Dane Austin's more contemporary take on midcentury modern, seen here in the couch, side table, and stool, balances the more traditional aspects of this 19th-century home. Their soft, organic shapes also make the space feel more livable and inviting.
Take Inspiration From the Greats
When in doubt, look to the past. This kidney-shaped couch was inspired by furniture designer Vladimir Kagan, who focused on contemporary styles like these starting in the 1940s. They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Dane Austin's intentions by including this mohair velvet sofa are clear.
Choose an Earthy Color Palette
It's easy for midcentury modern items to feel like untouchable pieces of art because they're so sculptural, but you can make them more approachable by sticking to an earthy color palette. Blair Moore of Moore House Design had custom furnishings made for this home so her clients could get their desired styles in their desired color scheme.
Display Your Vinyl
A vast record collection is only appropriate for someone who loves midcentury modern, so be sure to own it and put your records on display. Moore called this room a "disco library lounge" and had it double as a lively, music-filled family room.
Keep the Decorations Simple
Sometimes a piece of decor is so good you can let it carry the whole room. Such is the case with this fireplace cover, with its soft curves and minimalist shape. Moore didn't need to add much else.
Mix Midcentury With Rustic
You might not think the classic log cabin look and midcentury modern aesthetic can work together, but Thom Filicia proves they do renovation. The cluster of midcentury coffee tables don't compete with the warm wood and stone textures in the space. Instead, it's a cozy escape that feels clean and playful.
Bring in Bold Patterns
The curved shapes of a lot of midcentury modern furniture pair extremely well with bold patterns. Simply look at this space by Filicia: The curvy, wooden chair next to the heavily patterned sofa looks extremely warm and stylish.
Use Unexpected Materials
Revive your love of midcentury modern design by sourcing pieces with those classic, geometric silhouettes but are made from unexpected materials. Filicia perfectly captured a "midcentury cabin" aesthetic with these matching, light-wood coffee tables using that same philosophy.
Embrace Avocado Green
The light green color of these living room walls by Ashley Maddox bring in the midcentury modern spirit. It's a classic hue of the time, and paired with the same era furniture in this room, it really brings the whole space together.
Make It Cozy
Use plush textures and soft colors in combination with geometric midcentury modern furniture for a cozy balance. Susannah Charbin created this ideal napping space in her midcentury home using neutral tones that work with its clean lines.
Encourage Conversations
The conversation pit is a fixture in midcentury design, so adding in a space to your living room that encourages human connection is essential to truly capture the aesthetic. This isn't technically a pit, but Rodney Lawrence mimicked one with this oversize sectional.
Layer Intriguing Pieces
Though it's a more modern interpretation, this part of the home still shows Robert Lawrence's midcentury inspiration in its layering of clean lines, from the hanging shelves to the geometric shapes of the side table.
Bring in Era-Appropriate Art
In this essentially wall-free living room, Raji Radhakrishnan brought in midcentury sculptural art to help capture the aesthetic. The pop art Brillo boxes on the floor are at least heavily inspired by Andy Warhol, if not actual vintage pieces.
Bring in Some Humor
You wouldn't expect to see a 19th-century mural paired with a doghouse-shaped midcentury chair, but Raji Radhakrishnan wanted to bring in a little humor. "It's funny, a little off, but it puts a smile on your face," she explains. "It's the good kind of tension. If everything was the same, it would be so boring!"
Go for Luxury
Pair midcentury shapes with luxe finishes to make a more glamorous and dramatic living room. Cecilia Casagrande chose a dark green wall to contrast the bright gold velvet on the chairs to make the room feel moodier, then balanced out the heaviness of the finishings with lighter midcentury accessories.
Embrace Your Quirkiness
If you want to add a little bit of quirk, pair midcentury modern with an unexpected aesthetic. Casagrande's use of midcentury modern furniture combined with "unexpected nature motifs like bugs and birds in fabrics and wallpapers," says Liza Hunter, Casagrande's client, "lends a dignified quirkiness to her style." Sometimes things you think wouldn't work so well together can come in and add an eclectic quality to your home.
Choose a Monochromatic Color Scheme
On the sexier side of midcentury modern, a monochromatic color scheme can really create a dramatic lounging experience. Summer Thornton used this yellow, asymmetrical midcentury sofa in her clients' over-the-top gold room for the ideal hanging out vibes: artistic, swanky, and completely decadent.
Pick a Statement Chair
If you're searching for a good way to start your style journey, add an iconic piece of midcentury modern furniture. Summer Thornton chose this vintage leather chair, and you can tell immediately by looking at it what era it comes from thanks to the clean lines and interesting stitching.
Supersize It
To make this small, bright room feel more intimate, Summer Thornton deployed this oversize midcentury couch. It's another way to encourage conversation, and you know what they say: Go big or go home.
Customize the Small Things
If you can't find exactly what you're looking for—and your budget allows—then get something custom made. Melanie Turner made her clients' midcentury home more aesthetically pleasing by incorporating of-the-time furniture and custom-bound family scrapbooks to give the library coordinated pops of color.
Choose Family-Friendly Decor
Midcentury modern style is truly so versatile because there are plenty of mature pieces that look like works of art, but there are also more family-friendly items you can choose, like these egg chairs, for example. The founders of Kureck Jones, John Kureck and Doug Jones, were tasked with designing this kid-friendly beach house, and the shapely chairs paired with the futuristic light and vivid colors helped them meet that goal.
Add Pops of Color
Don't be afraid to bring in pops of color that seem more modern. When paired with the right details, like this midcentury chair and the paneling on the wall, the Kureck Jones designers were still able to give this living room the cool vibe their client wanted.
Choose an Unconventional Color Scheme
This ultrasuede sofa screams midcentury modern, even though the palette is usually a bit more moody with pops of brightness here and there. The team at Kureck Jones used the right silhouettes with the out-there colors for a living room that's playful and inviting.
Ditch the Couch
List your couch on Facebook Marketplace and opt for two chaise lounges instead. Philip Mitchell used these gorgeous midcentury seats in a couple's den, creating an interesting space just for them.
Take Advantage of Your Space
If you want to treat your midcentury modern furniture collection like artwork, use your living room as the ultimate display and layer as much as you can into the space. Philip Mitchell packed plenty of seating into this maximalist midcentury modern living room.
Mix True Vintage with Contemporary
The stark contrast between traditional vintage pieces and midcentury modern ones creates an interesting space that's difficult to replicate. Garrow Kedigian tapped into his clients' love of midcentury modern vintage and played around with traditional, ornate flea market chairs by pairing them with the curved loveseat and sharp table to mesh the two aesthetics.
Add Depth
To complement the clean lines of midcentury modern, add depth into your living room with a moodier paint color. Garrow Kedigian added a drop of black to Benjamin Moore paint in Lakeside Cabin to do just that, making this space look so lively.
Embrace the Structural Details
If you want a midcentury modern living room but your home has structural details that may not traditionally fit the aesthetic, don't get rid of them—work with them. In this Victorian cattle barn, the designers at McLaren.Excell brought in period furniture and embraced the wood-beam ceiling by sticking to a neutral palette and rustic textures. It definitely doesn't take away the contemporary vibe that some of the furnishings bring in.
Match Your Furniture to Your Art
Though it doesn't fit the traditional midcentury modern color scheme, the living room of this Hamptons home by Amy Lau definitely captures the aesthetic. Lau pulled a color from the modern art for the midcentury-esque chairs—the perfect way to bridge the gap between competing styles.
Add a Metallic Touch
Midcentury modern design often features chrome, but you can give it a contemporary interpretation by reaching for other metallic finishes. Amy Lau chose a custom kidney-shaped ottoman covered in iridescent leather for this living room, incorporating a hint of that iconic chrome finish.
Bring the Outdoors in
A mainstay of midcentury modern design is coziness. One way to channel it is with exterior elements, which can make the interior of your home feel warmer and more connected to nature. To turn up the warmth in this remote Utah ranch, Anik Pearson moved wall sconces from the exterior to the interior.
Put in Unique Shelves
The ebony wall paneling and Plexiglas shelves are original to this midcentury modern home, so they're the perfect model for your retro living room. As designer Everick Brown put it, "Everybody wanted to demo them, and I was like, 'No, you can't destroy that!'"
Make a Statement Wall
Another way to add in a metallic touch is through a statement wall covered in steel. At least, that's how Everick Brown did it. The niche lined with a contrasting wood gives this living room much-needed warmth and dimension.
Include Family Heirlooms
This iconic midcentury modern Hans Wegner Papa Bear chair once belonged to Cate Dunning's paternal grandfather. So it was only natural for her to work it into the design of her own home, which used to belong to her maternal grandparents. It adds such a playful pop of color to this already fun room and let her honor both sets of her grandparents in a stylish way.
Install a Parquet Floor
Wood flooring was popular in the midcentury modern era. To take it a step further, bring in geometric shapes and play with symmetry by installing a parquet floor in a diamond motif. Atelier ND chose a striped loveseat to have even more fun with the lines in the space.
Soften With Curves
Balance too many harsh lines with a curved midcentury modern couch or loveseat, as Ana Claudia did here. "Even though the space had beautiful architectural detail, the room was rectangular, the mantle was rectangular, and there needed to be some balance," she explains. "Curved furniture softens the space."
Add Wood Panelling
We know: Wood paneling is polarizing. However, it's a characteristic of midcentury modern design that you should preserve when you come across it, as McLaren.Excell did here. The panels often mimic the natural wood outside the home, making them extremely unique and bringing the outdoors in.
Spotlight Special Pieces
Use highly saturated and contrasting colors to highlight the midcentury modern pieces you really want to show off. Jonathan Savage chose to paint the walls of the living room in the House Beautiful 2022 Whole Home in a rich gray-blue, which lets the bright yellow chair stand out and be the star.
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