Why Mid Century Modern Design Just Won’t Quit
Mid Century Modern design doesn't seem to want to quit. In fact, it continues to grow today. Learn more about Mid Century Modern and its influence on home décor today.
Many modern trends have emerged over time, but none have been as influential and successful as Mid Century Modern design. Its popularity even persisted in our traditional home décor choices like wall art décors and furnishing. It's easy to see why this design style has endured, though, with its modern geometric lines, strong colors, and streamlined furniture pieces like chairs and couches.
What Is Mid Century Modern Design
Mid Century Modern design is a style of modernist design that emerged in the mid-20th century and lasted until around the end of the 20th century. It was heavily influenced by architecture, industrialism, and technology. Mid Century Modern design is characterized by muted natural wood tones, clean lines, graphic shapes, vibrant colors, and functional materials.
Architects have been laying stones and basing their creations on natural elements to design homes and hotels since the 18th century. However, a seismic shift occurred in 1928 when architect Walter Gropius officially introduced the Bauhaus architecture and is largely credited for the invention of mid-century design.
This new architectural learning style captured everybody’s imagination. It brought back a sense of art within three-dimensional design and function, which increased designers’ focus on formality and originality, which are now perceived as valued qualities in society.
It wasn't just a piece of architecture; it also had a huge cultural effect on the world. The modernist movement promoted the idea of changing from fussy decorations to a liberal way of life and putting the focus on making the best use of space while keeping things simple. It is enduring for the very reason that mid-century blends relaxing spaces with aesthetic harmony by rejecting frills in favor of usefulness, minimalism, and uneven texture.
Mid Century Modern design is popular even today because of its simplicity. More and more people are gravitating toward contemporary designs, but Mid Century Modern house décor has a “timeless” feeling to it while still being fresh and unique.
4 Characteristics of Mid-Century Design
Mid-century art and design is easy to recognize because of its simplicity and lack of ornamentation. It usually has geometric shapes with sharp edges, smooth surfaces, clean lines, and an unabashed focus on function over form. Digging deeper into its design language reveals four defining characteristics of mid-century designs:
Mixing Materials and Aesthetics
Mid-century design combines materials with their aesthetics and form. It’s noted for its use of both natural and man-made materials and balanced by a pronounced preference for unique expression, irregularity, individuality, and symmetry.
The overarching principle of a mid-century décor is using durable materials and resilient components to make them last longer. In the past, mid-century houses were conceived to be sturdy houses rather than light or glamorous ones occupying loose expanses of space — something which is also found in several contemporary mid-century designs.
Mid-century design also encourages interaction between complementary visually disparate tones of color throughout furniture sets, wallpaper patterns, and walls.
One reason why people found themselves drawn back to the looks of this type of design could be down to how colors and materials are bright and geometric but also meets wide open spaces. This can help give a person an illusion that they are visiting an older place in history or just another part of their memory.
Minimalism
Contrary to popular assumption, the purpose of minimalism is not to have nothing. Instead, it involves making personal efforts to understand and address one's individual needs without getting carried away. Mid-century design embodies this idea and captures the essence of minimalism in terms of interior design.
Minimalism emphasizes simplicity and that less is more. This idea can be seen in many kinds of mid-century wall art and designs. Minimalism within mid-century designs made an impact on the home décor industry because it focuses on creating aesthetically pleasing spaces and comfortable living experiences. It encourages people to get rid of clutter and simplify their lives, so they can focus on what’s important in life, which is family, friends, memories, etc.
The minimalist approach to design is a defining characteristic that makes mid-century design so unique. These designs are simple, functional, and devoid of gaudy flourishes and flashy ornamentation. They revel in the lack of visual clutter and an absence of nonessential objects, materials, or details.
Natural wood tones with pops of color
Mid-century design embraces nature by focusing on natural wood tones with pops of color that stand out from the background. Different shades of green, yellow, red, purple, blue, and orange are added to the wood tones of the furniture pieces. This design philosophy creates a warm and inviting atmosphere and is often regarded as a hallmark of mid-century designs.
Natural wood tones are seen as a symbol of modernity and simplicity. This is typically achieved through the use of wood veneer and sometimes metal elements, such as metal chairs.
Mid-century décor designers are aware of how natural wood tones and an infusion of color can make up for one of the most defining atmospheres. Bright colors are considered rare in mid-century abstract art designs but are regularly accentuated with other tones of white and brown. Mid-century design strives to be handcrafted and compact with materials from nature, to emphasize natural light and nurture a comfortable atmosphere.
Hybrid Indoor-Outdoor Design
One of the main reasons mid-century design décors have withstood the test of time is their versatility. The design has been used to create hybrid indoor-outdoor designs that can be applied to any environment. You can see these designs gracing interior spaces, furniture designs, and even exterior environments such as outdoor décor in gardens, public parks, and landscapes.
In the past few years, more people have started using this style for their homes because it’s easy to adapt to any type of space. Some hybrid indoor-outdoor designs use mid-century design as the base of their style but add modern elements to it to create something more unique and different from other styles of decorating.
It’s easy to find influences of mid-century designs in homes, restaurants, hotels, and even public buildings. With its mix of modernism and classicism, mid-century designs make interiors, as well as outdoors, look refined and elegant.
The Staying Power of Mid-Century Design
The world today is all about function, not fluff. Spaces that work for you, rather than extravagant embellishment for the sake of decorating. And this speaks volumes about the staying power of mid-century designs and their popularity.
Mid-century design has stood the test of time because of its ability to create an aesthetic connection between physical place and human emotion. The usefulness of this aesthetic extends beyond its practicality. It is clean, modern, timeless, and can be used in multiple ways and environments. The materials it uses are durable and easy to maintain, with a pronounced focus on quality over quantity.
If you're ready to bring the mid-century look home or just need a finishing touch to your already glorious modern dwelling, start with wall art. Browse our specially curated collection, to perfectly match the mid-century design aesthetic here.
We believe art wields the power to inspire, energize, and transform people and places. Our team of curators and craftspeople are passionate about providing art that meets your unique vision and style.