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Fun Houzz: You Know You Love Midcentury Style When...
Find out whether your tastes were born in the 1950s with our top 10 signs that you’re mad for midcentury
If you tune into Mad Men for the interior design as much as the plot, it’s likely you have caught the midcentury bug. And why not? Those post-war decades saw the birth of architecture and design that was so clean, elegant and original we’re still replicating it today. Maybe you just can’t resist it? Read on to find out if you have a midcentury mindset.
You delight in a drinks trolley
Would Don Draper keep his single malt in a cupboard or his soda siphon in a cabinet? No chance. That’s not the midcentury way. Keep your spirits and mixers neatly arranged on a trolley for 1950s-style refreshment at any time of day.
Like a tipple of an evening? Check out these creative home bars
Would Don Draper keep his single malt in a cupboard or his soda siphon in a cabinet? No chance. That’s not the midcentury way. Keep your spirits and mixers neatly arranged on a trolley for 1950s-style refreshment at any time of day.
Like a tipple of an evening? Check out these creative home bars
You raise the roof
Boxy rooms with flat ceilings are so not midcentury. If your heart is in the 1950s, you want your roof to soar, its rafters and timbers proudly exposed.
Discover 8 stylish ways to expose your ceiling
Boxy rooms with flat ceilings are so not midcentury. If your heart is in the 1950s, you want your roof to soar, its rafters and timbers proudly exposed.
Discover 8 stylish ways to expose your ceiling
You salivate over sideboards
No single piece of furniture seems to sum up the midcentury era quite like a sideboard. Its clean lines and warm wood tones are very of the period, and it neatly combines style with practicality. If sideboards speak to you on some deep level, then we diagnose a major midcentury crush.
No single piece of furniture seems to sum up the midcentury era quite like a sideboard. Its clean lines and warm wood tones are very of the period, and it neatly combines style with practicality. If sideboards speak to you on some deep level, then we diagnose a major midcentury crush.
You err on the dark side
We’re not talking walls – in a midcentury-inspired home, they tend to be pale. No, it’s the wood that’s dark and temptingly treacly in tone when you are a devotee of midcentury style. You swerve the bleached boards and washed-out wood found in Scandi schemes in favour of a darker tone of timber. You use plenty of it, too. From exposed rafters to furniture and flooring, it’s all about keeping things real with wood.
We’re not talking walls – in a midcentury-inspired home, they tend to be pale. No, it’s the wood that’s dark and temptingly treacly in tone when you are a devotee of midcentury style. You swerve the bleached boards and washed-out wood found in Scandi schemes in favour of a darker tone of timber. You use plenty of it, too. From exposed rafters to furniture and flooring, it’s all about keeping things real with wood.
You yearn for earthy colours
Forget neon brights or jewel tones, a midcentury maven warms to the softer side of the spectrum. You want colours that belong in nature, but without being too floral or countrified. So that’s mossy greens, woody browns, mellow yellows and earthy oranges. And absolutely no pink.
Forget neon brights or jewel tones, a midcentury maven warms to the softer side of the spectrum. You want colours that belong in nature, but without being too floral or countrified. So that’s mossy greens, woody browns, mellow yellows and earthy oranges. And absolutely no pink.
You don’t do stairs
A southern Californian ranch house is very much in tune with midcentury architectural design. Lateral space and lofty ceilings were typical, and all arranged on a single floor. So if you live in the humble British equivalent – the bungalow – take heart: you’re more Mad Men than you may have realised.
A southern Californian ranch house is very much in tune with midcentury architectural design. Lateral space and lofty ceilings were typical, and all arranged on a single floor. So if you live in the humble British equivalent – the bungalow – take heart: you’re more Mad Men than you may have realised.
You go graphic
Florals, spots, toile de jouy… No, no, no! These patterns and prints are far too country cottage or French revival for your tastes. You want a graphic repeat in an earthy colour. Nothing else will do.
Florals, spots, toile de jouy… No, no, no! These patterns and prints are far too country cottage or French revival for your tastes. You want a graphic repeat in an earthy colour. Nothing else will do.
You only accept clean lines
Strong silhouettes are essential in a midcentury modernist’s home. You have no time for sink-into sofas, squashy cushions or chunky rustic pieces. Furniture should be as sleek and streamlined as a freshly Brylcreemed bonce.
TELL US…
Does midcentury style get your vote? How have you introduced it into your home? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
Strong silhouettes are essential in a midcentury modernist’s home. You have no time for sink-into sofas, squashy cushions or chunky rustic pieces. Furniture should be as sleek and streamlined as a freshly Brylcreemed bonce.
TELL US…
Does midcentury style get your vote? How have you introduced it into your home? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
Sunburst motifs often crop up in midcentury schemes. From clocks to mirrors and objets d’art, the sunray shape puts a smile on the face of any fan of this design era.