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What Is Mid-Century Modern Design Decor?

with Betsy from Spoonflower's Brand Marketing Team

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Edited: May 17, 2022
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Ever hear someone talk about a style but you have no idea what it means? The first time I heard someone say a piece of furniture was mid-century modern, I had no idea what they were talking about. I’m pretty sure that I shook my head externally, but internally, I was the shrug emoji. 

However, once I learned more about the style, which I found beautiful, I realized it was absolutely everywhere. I found design elements taken from the middle of last century in the houses of relatives and doctor’s waiting rooms and late-night television.

Mid-century modern design may have disparate aspects, such as curves and squared edges, but it becomes easier to spot once you’re aware of its common themes and motifs. In this quick primer on what to look out for and why mid-century has stuck around for so long, you’ll be up to speed in no time!

A panel of wallpaper with repeating rows of narrow ovals with pointed tops and bottoms on a cream background is shown laying as if installed on a wall it is taking up the entire background of the image. The ovals are randomly black and dark orange. In the middle third on the right-hand side of the image, four rolls of the same wallpaper design in different colorways are laid lengthwise on top of the black-and-dark-orange panel. Only about a fourth of the rolls are shown. The rolls of wallpaper from top to bottom feature green-and-blue ovals on a cream background, black-and-white ovals on a cream background, orange-and-gray ovals on a cream background and kelly-green-and-dark-green ovals on a cream background.

(Featured designs)

What Is Mid-century Modern?

But, first of all, when people say “mid-century modern” what period of time are they talking about? Precise dates differ depending on where you look. While some places saying MCM design began in the late 1930s, most places peg its start to around the end of the World War II.

General consensus puts mid-century modern design between the 1940s and the 1960s, making it adjacent to the Hollywood Regency style. The two styles differ as mid-century modern lacks Hollywood Regency’s focus on glamor, but both styles include furniture meant for use over admiration, and embrace pops of color and neutral tones.

According to Curbed, the term “mid-century modern” was coined when author Cara Greenberg needed a title for her 1984 book on 1950s furniture, “Midcentury Modern: Furniture of the 1950s”— meaning decades elapsed without this style being called what we know it as today.

These days, mid-century design is so common that Fast Company called it the “pumpkin spice latte of interior design” in a 2016 article that went on to add it’s “a prefabricated style so inoffensive and ubiquitous that even cynics eventually yield to its nostalgic, neutral warmth.”

That dig also hints at the elements that make mid-century modern shine. The style’s sleek, often curved, clean lines give warmth to minimalist designs that fit in well among a wide range of decor tastes.

Over time, the style gained wide popularity and today is produced for both higher-end consumers (Design Within Reach) and mass market companies (Target).

Mid-century Modern Floral Wallpaper

Alternating rows of open and closed blue flowers appear on a white background. The open flowers have a light blue center with gray lines going through the center turning it into slices. The gray lines have white dots on the end. The center has a darker blue circle around it, and the outer edge of the flower is blue-ish purple. A blue-ish purple stem is extended down from the center of the flower circle and green and blue leaves are on each side. The closed flowers are blue-ish purple with gray lines extending outward from the center throughout the top of the flower with green dots at their tops. A light blue stem extends from the center of the flower and light and dark blue flowers are on both sides of the stem.

Mid-Century Modern Floral
by barbarapixton

White dandelions, comprised of white lines emanating from the same center outward to a circle, float across a bright yellow background

Dandelions Large M+M Yolk
by friztin

Yellow, orange and white abstract flowers with blue leaves leaves appear in columns on a dark blue background. The center of the flowers is yellow, with a white circle outside of that, and a dark orange circle outside of that and a bright orange circle outside of that, which is also the flowers’ edge. Some of the blue petals have white centers, most are blue throughout and some petals are blue and white striped.

Mid-mod Floral Pattern
by jekinugao

What Makes Something Mid-century Modern?

Architectural Digest notes four common motifs of mid-century modern design, “organic influences, simple forms, emphasis on function and democratic (in other words, designed for everybody).” In looking at it this way, it’s not hard to see why it has been so successfully replicated over the years.

Its focus on good design meant to last and to be used could well be its superpower in a world that has so quickly been gripped by fast fashion and consumerism. It’s also noteworthy that good, timeless design led to transcending trends.

In the website Home Designing’s roundup of 30 different mid-century modern living rooms, common themes stand out. At first, mid-century design almost appears effortless in its simplicity. Simple vs. scrolled, curved vs. raw edge, flow vs. clutter. Another common element is blending opposites to create a cohesive vision. Soft textural elements mix with sleek wood, oranges match creams and metallic lamps loom not far from large windows.

House Beautiful highlights how mid-century modern design was influenced by what was happening at the time: “Studies in nuclear physics, molecular chemistry, as well as a growing obsession with science fiction all played into the futuristic shapes and materials seen in everything from furniture to suburban homes and skyscrapers.”

Thus the playing of opposites continues as boxy wooden pieces appear with atomic starburst designs nodding to then-current events. Even though this style first appeared almost a century ago, it still remains fresh today given an approach that looked to ease of use over bending to trends.

Space-Age Wall Hangings

A fabric wallhanging hanging against a white wall features vintage camper vans, flamingo yard ornaments, palm trees, martini glasses, cars towing campers and small orange spaceships appear on a turquoise background. Strips of wood are at the top and bottom of the wallhanging, ensuring it holds taut and in place

Vintage Kitsch Blue
by bruxamagica

A wallhanging hanging against a white wall features dark orange and light orange rocketships pointing upward into space. Geometric shapes, including large dark orange and turquoise circles float on top of a cream background. Strips of wood are at the top and bottom of the wallhanging, ensuring it holds taut and in place.

Retro Rocket Ships Asteroid Adventure Small
by wolflingblue

A wallhanging hanging against a white wall features 50's retro shapes, including boomerang like shapes and circles in green and blue on a striped teal background repeat on a half-dro against a dark turquoise.

Teal Space Age Shapes
by xoxotique

How to Make Your Home More Mid-century Modern

So what does this all mean when it comes to mid-century patterns and wall art?

MidCentury magazine explains some common pattern themes, “Designs made bold use of contrasting, sometimes clashing, colours and popular themes such as cutlery, fruit and animals. The apparent simplicity and pleasing repetition, together with the impact and scalability of these motifs ensure that these patterns still flourish.”

The designs are also easy to add to your existing decor. As Mark Riddle, a Room & Board store associate, told The Washington Post, “Mid-century-modern-inspired pieces are versatile, so you can pepper them in without having to rethink the whole room … it’s not a look that needs to be implemented wall to wall, floor to ceiling. It should be mix-and-matched.”

If you’re looking for quick decorating tips, Insider’s guide to affordably making your house more mid-century modern shares quick affordable ideas like changing the legs on your furniture, buying reproductions instead of vintage and using accent pieces.

Atomic-themed Home Decor

A red and cream mid-century modern and atomic inspired table runner with black accents and ovals, rectangles and an intersecting lines pattern lays across a woodle table with a white bowl of red apples on top of it.

Mid-Century Atomic in Red Table Runner
by hot4tees_bg@yahoo_com

Two placemats are partially stacked on top of one another with a fork and knife on the left-hand side of the top placemat. The placemats are on a white background and have the design on them features dark turquoise atomic starbusts of varying sizes repeating at random on a cream background.

Atomic Starburst Blue Placemats
by roofdog_designs

A dark orange round tablecloth lies on top of a table. A white pedestal that the table sits on top of is shown underneath. The tablecloth has layered cream rectangles throughout. The table is in front of a wall that is white at the bottom and beige at the top. The floor is wooden. A white bowl of lemons is sitting on top of the tablecloth.

Atomic Squares Orange Round Tablecloth
by theodesign

Want to see more mid-century modern designs?

Click to shop all our MCM patterns

About the Author

Betsy Greer portrait

Betsy Greer

Betsy is a writer and stitcher who joined the Brand Marketing team in July 2021. In her spare time, she talks to people about their choice to make things by hand and related lessons learned for her project Dear Textiles. She also aims to befriend all the dogs she meets and is forever looking for the perfect dress pattern with pockets.

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  • Looks cool!
    The wallpapers reminded me of the TV series “The Queen’s Gambit”. I think Beth’s living room was Mid-century Modern.

    Lesley Parker | January 11, 2022 at 3:48 am
    Reply
    • Thanks, Lesley! And, yes, I think mid-century modern is cool too!

      I haven’t watched “The Queen’s Gambit” yet, but the internet tells me you’re spot on, calling her decor mid-century modern! 🙂

      Best,
      Betsy
      Spoonflower

      Betsy | January 11, 2022 at 9:01 am
      Reply
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