Design Styles 101: Mid-Century Modern
Hello and Happy New Year design friends, from all of us at Amy Elizabeth Designs. We are so glad you are a part of our design community and we’re excited to share our tips, trends and styling ideas with you.
As promised in my final blog of 2019, in this and future posts we will cover a couple of popular design styles and the design elements they include. Each one is unique, but with a few tips, you will be able to recognize these staple pieces from each design style and incorporate them into your own home.
When I took my most recent trip to High Point, North Carolina (the mecca of all things interior design) in October, I saw 2 design styles given the majority of attention: Modern and Mid-Century Modern.
Both Modern and Mid-Century Modern are wildly popular, depending on where you are in the country, and they will continue to impact design this year and likely beyond. In this post we will deconstruct Mid-Century Modern Design. And then, in the near future, we will examine Modern Design.
Mid-Century Modern – I personally think Modern and Mid-Century Modern steal elements from each other but Mid-Century was inspired from architecture and furniture in the US immediately after World War II. As American soldiers came home, the economy took off and new homes were being built for these new families. Its telltale design elements include:
Clean, sleek lines
Unique lighting – starburst, geometric, curves and loops
Geometrical shapes in wallpaper and rugs
Mixture of materials – Warm & natural woods, metals, glass and leather
Lots of windows and natural light
Hairpin legs on furniture pieces
Womb, Eames and tulip chairs
Natural fibers & textures in drapery and décor (think wicker & linen)
Pops of bold color while using heavy doses of black and white.
Greenery – fiddle, snake, banana and spider plants
That’s the list for Mid-Century Modern design elements. While this list is not exhaustive it definitely covers the major components of this style that you can easily incorporate into your home. Hope this helps serve as a guide to style your own home. Next time we will be deconstructing Modern design and its components.
As always, if you or someone you know is looking for an interior designer, send them my way! Happy decorating and until next time…create, design, inspire!
