Mid-century Modern: How to Style it in Your Home

Functional yet elegant where sleek lines meet organic and geometric shapes, mid-century modern design embodies smart style with a dash of personality and panache. This liveable style first gained traction in the mid-1930s, growing in popularity through to the mid-1960s with the pioneering work of designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, Hans J Wegner, George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi, Verner Panton and Harry Bertoia, just to name a few.

A focus on practical style, democratic and approach design for everyone, and considered craftsmanship elevating simple forms are the building blocks of mid-century design, which has secured its longevity. It’s also a highly adaptable style, equally suitable in small living spaces as well as expansive open-plan homes. To master this crowd-pleasing style, here are the considerations you need to factor to bring mid-century modern design to your place.

If there is a style equation to nailing mid-century modern design at your home, it centres on getting the following five furniture choices right. Another mid-century modern design go-to: timber. Wooden elements across all your furniture decisions will score top style points

The Sofa

For a simple yet sophisticated sofa, look to a geometric profile of clean lines teamed with plush upholstery, tapered feet or even a timber bench structure.

The classic piece of mid-century modern couch inspiration has to be Hans J Wegner’s Plank sofa. The reissued design is available from Great Dane but there are also plenty of options that echo the Plank’s design. Consider the Ekenäset three-seat sofa from IKEA, Castlery’s Wayne sofa or Brosa’s Frank 3-seater modular sofa with chaise.

The Coffee Table

As for the sofa’s written-in-the-stars soulmate, the coffee table, the iconic piece that encapsulates mid-century modern design’s spirit is Isamu Noguchi’s glass-topped beauty, with its understated simplicity, organic silhouette and timber feature base. 

This wish-list worthy piece is stocked by Living Edge but for more accessible pieces, try West Elm’s Mid-century Art Display Round coffee table, the Soloman coffee table from McMullin & Co, or Life Interiors’ chic yet practical Stockholm coffee table.

The Occasional Chair

An occasional chair is a bit of living room luxury, but it’s also an easy way to inject a dose of mid-century modern design – case in point: Borge Mogensen’s statement Spanish chair available from Great Dane. Take into account a timber frame, plush seating and a striking presence.

Some of our favourites include Freedom’s Malmo fabric armchair, the Franz armchair from Icon By Design, or Pop and Scott’s aptly named Dreamer armchair.

The Dining Set

Over in your dining area, consider the winning trio of organic shapes, timber and an open structure for your dining setting – think Hans J Wegner’s Wishbone chairs from Cult, a shapely Tulip table by Eero Saarinen from Dedece and Charles and Ray Eames’ moulded plywood chairs or fibreglass side chairs available from Living Edge.

A setting that may fit the bill for you is Castlery’s Chelsea marble dining table with Kelsey chairs, and look to the exhaustive mix-and-match options of tables and chairs at Temple and Webster and Freedom.

The Sideboard

And finally, a sideboard or room divider is a brilliant mid-century modern design piece that is both a necessary storage solution as well as a serious style statement, forming a stage for all manner of style vignettes.

The forever investment inspo pieces are beautifully crafted solid timber sideboards eyed in your favourite vintage store (more on that later), as well as the String System by Nils Strinning available from Arrival Hall and the Eames’ storage units from Living Edge. Try the Timber Low Line TV unit from Harpers Project, King’s new Vertio Wall System and the bevy of storage options from West Elm.

If you’re a mid-century modern design aficionado though, you’ll be after the real thing: the authentic lived-in treasure. And there are plenty of places around the nation to dip your toe or deep-dive into to discover your forever investment pieces.

Here are just a few of our favourite pre-loved mid-century modern design specialists: Juliet’s Balcony, Vampt Vintage Design, Rudi Rocket and Ken Neale Twentieth Century Modern in Sydney; in Melbourne, Modern Times, Angelucci 20th Century and Grandfather’s Axe; the Brisbane flagship of The Modern Furniture Store and The Vinyl Frontier; Retro Room and Realm in Adelaide; Perth’s 20th Century Vintage and Retrofind; Antiques to Retro in Hobart and Canberra’s So Last Century MCM; and of course, beloved vintage furniture purveyor Curated Spaces. 

Mid-century modern design is one of the most covetable looks in home style with its accessible nature, simple forms and hero timber elements. Bringing this classic design aesthetic into your home is easy with this detailed style guide. If you’re keen on delving further into furniture shopping, check out our list of the best online pre-loved stores and where to find standout occasional chairs.