So you live in an Arts and Crafts style home or a traditional Victorian? Not everyone who prefers modern over anything else can choose the house that one lives in. Some houses are easier than others to remodel into a MCM style. The ranch house that dominates the Southwestern area of the country comes to mind in terms of lending itself to a redo. Instead of thinking of changing the exterior view of the house, the inside possesses some possibilities.

One of the most forgotten features of modern furnishings is their ability to fit into all sorts of interior environments. Placing Queen Ann chairs around an ultra-modern steel and glass table fits into the mid-century mystique. In the mid-century, although decried by some, eclecticism found a strong place in many modern homes. To have an antique armoires in a very modern room would not necessarily be out-of-place.

To have a strong mid-century modern presence in a room, 5 tips come to mind that will make the attempt much more successful:

Color

Acquaint oneself with mid-century colors. Although, just as today, one cannot say that one color scheme captures the entire design world, look for images and graphics of the times that suggest a layout that one might find desirable. Checking the internet will bring forth many examples of the colors favored at the time.

Many of the contemporary impulses toward modern color arrangements don’t conflict with mid-century modern. Even though varied pastels, browns and oranges and even white color schemes were used, the careful use of bright colors was enthusiastically embraced. Nevertheless, colors were commonly muted, but, unlike today, modern schemes featured color statements not consisting entirely of neutrals. Finding a house during the mid-century entirely of shades of beige or gray would be nearly impossible.

Materials

In the mid-century the mix of modern and natural materials came to symbolize the period. Though the Internationalists pushed for the use of steel frames and large walls of glass, an area of natural stone or sculpted concrete block along with gravel and water, formed the zen like quality of many modern houses. The use of wood was not shunned either. Don’t forget that formica, linoleum and pastel ceramic tiles were tremendous favorites.

Furnishings

One almost refrains from mentioning furnishings because this goes without saying. Don’t be afraid, however, of a clever mixture of modern, traditional and reconditioned items. Taking an old settee and wrapping it in bold patterns or colors or painting the frame a metal flake auto lacquer will turn it into a strong modern statement. Reconditioning the old and ordinary into something of a different time was not out-of-place in the modern era.

If you have some old clunkers taking up space, get creative and see what you can turn them into.

 

Just as one can use traditional or redone traditional furniture, mixing in contemporary finds do not diminish the effect if done right. Even so, the use of original or reproductions of actual mid-century masterpieces fit the bill for transforming a room. The furnishings used in transforming a space into a mid-century marvel are one of the most important features, along with the arrangement of the pieces.

 

Fixtures and Drapery

Out with the old, in with the mid-century. Adding some era lamps and replacing fixtures with those of the period will go a long way to setting the atmosphere. Reproductions and those of a similar design are readily available on the Internet and at local retailers.

Pendant Lamps were extremely popular in the mid-century.

 

Drapery and fabrics are an equally important part of establishing a mid-century modern look to a room.

Art

Prints and original artwork in a modern genre sets a tone in a space and easily transforms the design to mid-century. One can find rather garish, kitsch artwork to go on the walls, but instead careful consideration always works better. If one doesn’t own original work or can’t afford the cost, prints and posters of events during the time, museum showings and travel advertisements work very well when properly displayed. Also, art does not have to be from a particular period or genre. Just as with mixing modern and traditional furniture, art display can work in the same way. A Toulouse-Lautrec poster fits in with a mid-century look, for example.

Sculpture always has a dramatic presence in any space. Many Calder pieces and the work of other artists are emulated or essentially copied. Objects such as the Eames Bird continue to be reproduced. Local museums always have fine prints and objects available for sale in their gift shops or online.

Whatever artwork you use, do not clutter up the walls with too many pictures unless you know what you are doing. A large, dominating picture might have a couple of smaller pictures on either side for balance. Yet many times one piece of work needs to stand alone because of its forceful nature. Nevertheless, sometimes following a theme, smaller pictures can be arranged in a creative fashion.

These 5 tips will provide anyone with a groovy, modern room whether one lives in a Victorian or Neo-Classical residence. Fortunately, the mid-century modern ideal lives on in reproductions or in new furniture that conforms to the sensibilities of the time. It is not entirely necessary to have a Platner chair or a Noguchi table. The modern continues on in so many places.

(The next article on this subject will feature a room transformed from a traditional style into a modern interior.)

HBosler