Expert Opinion: Is Mid-Century Modern Here to Stay?
We're in the throes of a passionate love affair with mid-century modern design, but is it too hot not to cool down?
Mid-century modern style has been a hugely pervasive influence in today’s homes – so much so that it’s often referred to simply as MCM. Some say it never went away, but it has certainly made an impression on contemporary design in the last decade. Our Houzz professionals give us their opinions on whether MCM will follow the path of all trends and die a slow death, or continue to stamp its style on our homes for years to come. And don’t miss their tips on how you can give this style longevity at your house.
Professional advice from:
Anoushka Allum, interior designer and decorator, Smartspace Interiors
Alistair McLean, principal, Secret Design Studio
Rebekah Cichero, interior designer and decorator, One Small Room Interiors and Building Design
Christopher Gyzemyter, interior designer and decorator, CG Design
Nathan Wundersitz, owner and designer, SpaceCraft Joinery
Professional advice from:
Anoushka Allum, interior designer and decorator, Smartspace Interiors
Alistair McLean, principal, Secret Design Studio
Rebekah Cichero, interior designer and decorator, One Small Room Interiors and Building Design
Christopher Gyzemyter, interior designer and decorator, CG Design
Nathan Wundersitz, owner and designer, SpaceCraft Joinery
But with any interiors trend comes the danger that it will make your home look dated when it falls from grace. Don’t panic just yet, though. As our experts reveal, MCM looks like it’s here to stay, and will evolve rather than fall out of fashion over time.
So why are we so captivated by it? Secret Design Studio principal Alistair McLean believes MCM has rescued us from the neutrality found in many of today’s houses. “It encourages the use of vibrant colours and colour combinations that give a space character, a feeling of fun and warmth,” McLean says.
MCM falls under the umbrella of the modernist movement, whose principles work well with today’s homes and attitudes. These included simplicity, clarity and flexibility in design, integrity in materials and construction, and respect for function above ornament. Revisiting elements from an earlier era also evokes nostalgia, McLean says.
Le Corbusier: The Modernist’s lasting influence on interiors
MCM falls under the umbrella of the modernist movement, whose principles work well with today’s homes and attitudes. These included simplicity, clarity and flexibility in design, integrity in materials and construction, and respect for function above ornament. Revisiting elements from an earlier era also evokes nostalgia, McLean says.
Le Corbusier: The Modernist’s lasting influence on interiors
Interior designer Rebekah Cichero from One Small Room says MCM furniture’s sleek aesthetic, married with its functional storage and use of sustainable materials, is the big attraction. It also suits any style and size of home.
The lounge room above, according to Cichero, “uses MCM in a more contemporary way, mixing it with soft industrial and vintage pieces. It references MCM, but sits well in a 1900s house – the Artemide light, the curves of the Ercol armchairs, the Danish couch, bench and reversible coffee table make the room look fresh, floating and uncluttered.”
Smartspace Interiors designer Anoushka Allum says its clean, well-designed lines also hold appeal because of our hectic lifestyles. “As our lives become busier and more complicated, and our environments more built-up, we crave a simple connection to nature and the warmth and comfort that provides. MCM design delivers this in spades.”
The lounge room above, according to Cichero, “uses MCM in a more contemporary way, mixing it with soft industrial and vintage pieces. It references MCM, but sits well in a 1900s house – the Artemide light, the curves of the Ercol armchairs, the Danish couch, bench and reversible coffee table make the room look fresh, floating and uncluttered.”
Smartspace Interiors designer Anoushka Allum says its clean, well-designed lines also hold appeal because of our hectic lifestyles. “As our lives become busier and more complicated, and our environments more built-up, we crave a simple connection to nature and the warmth and comfort that provides. MCM design delivers this in spades.”
A return to craftsmanship, away from mass production, is significant in feeding our MCM obsession, according to interior designer Christopher Gyzemyter. “The idea of considered, clean lines and functional crafted designs in architecture, interiors and furniture, adaptable to different environments and all eras, has popularised the trend,” he says.
MCM comes into its own in functional spaces such as kitchens. Kitchen designer Nathan Wundersitz says MCM offers a timeless design that’s beautiful and practical, without being fussy. “Kitchens are very important in today’s homes, and should be functional as well as inspiring to work in. MCM’s use of timber with warmth and texture, colour pops and simple joinery details ticks all these boxes.”
Mid-century modern kitchens: 12 key design elements
Mid-century modern kitchens: 12 key design elements
Mix and match for MCM success
People are becoming more confident in how they apply MCM, and it’s this that will make it an enduring style rather than a fad. Mixing it up with other styles is key.
“Nobody wants to live in a period-perfect museum set, and it’s possible to have pieces from different decades (or even centuries) work harmoniously together,” Secret Design Studio’s McLean says. “MCM pieces are so easy on the eye, so they lend themselves to working with other period pieces.”
See more of this eclectic home
People are becoming more confident in how they apply MCM, and it’s this that will make it an enduring style rather than a fad. Mixing it up with other styles is key.
“Nobody wants to live in a period-perfect museum set, and it’s possible to have pieces from different decades (or even centuries) work harmoniously together,” Secret Design Studio’s McLean says. “MCM pieces are so easy on the eye, so they lend themselves to working with other period pieces.”
See more of this eclectic home
One Small Room’s Cichero agrees, saying people are more confident creating a non-formulaic look with just a few MCM pieces.
“As homeowners’ awareness of the style grows, they are learning they don’t have to have a house full of MCM to appreciate it.” MCM can mix effortlessly with design styles such as vintage, industrial, antique and modern. “It’s about getting the balance right,” she says.
“As homeowners’ awareness of the style grows, they are learning they don’t have to have a house full of MCM to appreciate it.” MCM can mix effortlessly with design styles such as vintage, industrial, antique and modern. “It’s about getting the balance right,” she says.
Quality over quantity
Cichero suggests being selective about the MCM pieces you buy. “Quality MCM pieces are the ‘new’ antiques of the future, to be invested in and handed down to future generations,” she says. “I think people want to buy better and buy less, in a reaction to the ‘throw-away’ cheap furniture clogging the market.”
Cichero suggests being selective about the MCM pieces you buy. “Quality MCM pieces are the ‘new’ antiques of the future, to be invested in and handed down to future generations,” she says. “I think people want to buy better and buy less, in a reaction to the ‘throw-away’ cheap furniture clogging the market.”
The popularity of masterfully designed MCM pieces, original and skilfully reproduced, has never been greater. The Barcelona chair, designed by Ludvig Mies van der Rohe in 1929 and produced by Knoll since 1953, is a good example. It was wildly popular in the 1950s and 60s and is still very much sought-after today.
McLean sees an upswing in the appreciation of good furniture design. “Look at prices in furniture auction houses. Good quality mid-century furniture is hotly contested, with premium prices.”
Read more about Knoll’s enduring furniture design
McLean sees an upswing in the appreciation of good furniture design. “Look at prices in furniture auction houses. Good quality mid-century furniture is hotly contested, with premium prices.”
Read more about Knoll’s enduring furniture design
Keep it simple
“We don’t need to be elaborate, over-detailed or over-designed,” says Gyzemyter. “Keep it simple and it won’t date.”
“We don’t need to be elaborate, over-detailed or over-designed,” says Gyzemyter. “Keep it simple and it won’t date.”
“Less is more,” agrees Wundersitz. “There is beauty in simple form, fine details and balance.”
Embrace colour as well as form
Embracing the fun and vibrancy of the MCM colour palette is a way to apply the trend without being a slave to it.
“If you look back at home design magazines from the 1950s and 1960s, the colours and combinations were amazing,” McLean says. Long-ignored colours of the era – turquoise, mustard, olive green, pastel pinks and blues – are once more in the spotlight, while neutrals tend to be greys and darker browns in walnut, cocoa and taupe.
Embracing the fun and vibrancy of the MCM colour palette is a way to apply the trend without being a slave to it.
“If you look back at home design magazines from the 1950s and 1960s, the colours and combinations were amazing,” McLean says. Long-ignored colours of the era – turquoise, mustard, olive green, pastel pinks and blues – are once more in the spotlight, while neutrals tend to be greys and darker browns in walnut, cocoa and taupe.
Will MCM be around for a while yet?
Emphatically ‘yes’ from Allum, who believes it will become even more popular in years to come. “It’s not a design trend, it’s here to stay. It never really went away. The days of over-consumption and extravagance are hopefully behind us, as many of us are trying to live more consciously. MCM design embodies this,” she adds, “with its use of minimal finishes, clean design and pared-back aesthetics.”
See more of this home
Emphatically ‘yes’ from Allum, who believes it will become even more popular in years to come. “It’s not a design trend, it’s here to stay. It never really went away. The days of over-consumption and extravagance are hopefully behind us, as many of us are trying to live more consciously. MCM design embodies this,” she adds, “with its use of minimal finishes, clean design and pared-back aesthetics.”
See more of this home
“Mid-century influences will continue to appear in our interiors,” say Gyzemyter. “Light, slender pieces, such as the classic mid-century sideboard, really suit the openness of homes in our warmer climates, especially in Queensland where I work.”
Cichero suggests that the MCM phenomenon has reached its peak, but has now ‘settled’, with people becoming more discerning about how they bring the look to their homes. “Designers will continue to use MCM furniture, or at least furniture inspired by this look, giving it a fresh update with lighter-toned wood and timber veneers,” she says.
For McLean, the versatility of MCM style will assure its longevity. “It suits so many different types of architecture, from Art Deco semi-detacheds to ultra-contemporary mansions. Also, the visually light and sparse language of the furniture is really well suited to small-space living.”
For McLean, the versatility of MCM style will assure its longevity. “It suits so many different types of architecture, from Art Deco semi-detacheds to ultra-contemporary mansions. Also, the visually light and sparse language of the furniture is really well suited to small-space living.”
“MCM design will never run its course,” says McLean. “There’s no going back. Although there have been signs of growing interest in Memphis-style furniture from the 1980s, this postmodern style is completely opposite to everything we love about MCM.”
TELL US
Have you embraced the mid-century modern trend or are you over it? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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TELL US
Have you embraced the mid-century modern trend or are you over it? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
MORE
Design Legacy: 5 Things Robin Boyd Taught Us About Architecture
How to Add Mid-Century Appeal to Your Bedroom
Houzz Tour: Mid-Century Marvel for a Modern Family
To call the mid-century modern phenomenon a trend, fad or fashion doesn’t come close to describing its current influence. It’s more like an obsession, with architecture, materials, interiors, furniture, colour palettes, ceramics and fabrics all falling under MCM’s spell.