What is mid-century modern interior design?

The style of homes built from about 1945 to 1970: simple, low furniture on slim tapered legs, warm walnut and teak, open space and a few bold colors such as mustard, teal and orange.

What's the difference between mid-century modern and modern?

Modern, as the word is used today, is cooler and smoother: white, gray and black, sleek low pieces and little wood grain. Mid-century modern is warmer and a little retro, with walnut, tapered legs and color.

Can I mix mid-century modern with other styles?

Yes, it mixes easily. A mid-century credenza or chair sits well in a Scandinavian or a modern room. Keep the wood tones close and repeat the accent colors once or twice.

Can I see my own room in mid-century modern style?

Yes. Upload a photo of your room and pick Mid-century modern: you get the same room back with mid-century modern furniture, colors and decor, and the walls, windows and camera angle stay. A design at the standard size uses 1 credit, and the packs are $9.90 for 50 credits, $19.90 for 150 or $39.90 for 500, paid once.

Mid-Century Modern Interior Design: Try It at Home

Q: What colors go with mid-century modern?

Warm white or cream walls and walnut wood, plus two accents from the period: mustard and teal, olive and orange, or teal and rust. Gray and charcoal work as quiet backgrounds.

What mid-century modern interior design is

Mid-century modern is the look of homes built from the end of the 1940s to the late 1960s, in America and in Scandinavia: open rooms, big windows and furniture that was new, light and made to be used. Designers worked in walnut, teak and molded plywood and kept the shapes simple.

Today it's one of the easiest styles to live with. The furniture stands on slim legs, so you see the floor and the room feels lighter; the wood is warm; and two or three colors, mustard, teal, olive or orange, keep it cheerful without getting busy.

Comes from: American and Scandinavian homes, about 1945 to 1970
Feels: Warm, light and a little retro
Best in: Living rooms and bedrooms; walnut kitchens and bathrooms too
Easy to overdo: Only when every piece is a famous copy: mix in plain ones

How to spot a mid-century modern room

Four things give it away, and this one living room has all four.

Mid-century modern living room with walnut furniture, a mustard armchair and a sunburst mirror, AI example design

01
Slim tapered legs
The sofa, the credenza and the tables stand on thin wooden legs that narrow toward the floor, so there's floor showing under nearly everything.
02
Walnut and teak
A warm, mid-brown wood with a visible grain on the credenza, the coffee table and the chair arms. It's oiled, not painted or distressed.
03
A few bold colors
Mustard, teal, olive or burnt orange on one chair, the cushions and the rug, against cream walls. Two or three colors, not a rainbow.
04
Retro lights and shapes
A sputnik or globe light, a sunburst mirror, circles and arcs on the rug. Here: a brass sputnik light and a sunburst mirror over a walnut credenza.

Which rooms suit mid-century modern design

Mid-century modern works almost anywhere. It's at its best in a living room or a bedroom, where a walnut bed or credenza and one colorful chair or throw do most of the work. In a kitchen or a bathroom it means walnut cabinets, colored tile and brass, and it's one of the safest styles for staging an empty room, because buyers of every age like it.

Example designs, created with AI
Mid-century modern bedroom
Walnut bed · Mustard and teal · Geometric rug
Try Mid-century modern on my bedroom AI bedroom design ideas in more styles
Example designs, created with AI
Mid-century modern kitchen
Walnut cabinets · Teal tile backsplash · Globe pendants
Try Mid-century modern on my kitchen AI kitchen design ideas in more styles
Example designs, created with AI
Mid-century modern bathroom
Walnut vanity · Green glazed tiles · Brass fixtures
Try Mid-century modern on my bathroom AI bathroom design ideas in more styles
Example designs, created with AI
Mid-century modern empty room, staged
Cognac leather · Walnut table · Olive chairs
Stage an empty room in the mid-century modern style AI virtual staging for empty rooms

Example designs, created with AI. Each one starts from an ordinary room, so you can see what changed.

Mid-century modern colors and materials

Start from warm white or cream walls and a mid-brown wood. Then pick two accent colors from the period, mustard and teal, olive and orange, or teal and rust, and use them on fabric, tile and art rather than on every wall.

For materials: walnut or teak, molded plywood, leather in cognac or tan, wool and tweed upholstery, brass, and white glass for the lights. Patterns stay simple and geometric: circles, arcs and blocks of color.

Cream
Walnut
Mustard
Teal
Olive
Rust

Mid-century modern mistakes to avoid

A showroom of copies
A room where every piece is a reproduction of a famous chair looks like a store. Keep one or two statement pieces and let the rest be plain.
Wood on every surface
Walnut floors, walnut paneling and walnut furniture in one room blur into brown. Keep the walls light and break the wood up with fabric, a rug and plants.
Every period color at once
Mustard, teal, orange, olive and red together tip it into a theme party. Two accent colors are enough.
Big, heavy furniture
An overstuffed sofa that sits on the floor hides the slim legs that make the style. Choose pieces that stand up off the floor.

How to make your own room mid-century modern

Start with the biggest piece: a sofa or a bed on slim wooden legs, in a plain fabric.
Add one walnut or teak piece that runs along a wall, like a low credenza or sideboard.
Pick two accent colors, like mustard and teal, and repeat them on one chair, the cushions and the rug.
Swap the ceiling light for a globe, a sputnik or a mushroom lamp.
Hang one round or sunburst mirror, or one piece of abstract art in the same colors.
Finish with a big-leafed plant, like a fiddle-leaf fig or a snake plant.

Dated living room before the redesign, with a gray sofa, a wooden coffee table and beige carpet, AI example photo

Example photo, created with AI

Example designs, created with AI

Before

Mid-century modern

Or see it first: upload a photo of your room below and pick Mid-century modern. The walls, windows and camera angle stay; the furniture, colors and decor change.