Mid-century modern (MCM) design, a style that was popular in the mid-twentieth century, strikes puzzling interest in today’s home seekers mainly due to the sleakness of its curves, its functionality and its ability to embrace nature. If you’re considering purchasing an MCM home, here’s a style guide to help you appreciate and identify its key characteristics.
Kitchen And Bathroom Features Of Mid-Century Modern Homes
- Clean Lines and Geometric Shapes: Mid-Century modern homes had formal elements with straight and geometric shapes like squares, rectangles, and circles.
- Open Floor Plans: These homes focus a great deal on creating open-airy spaces with limited internal boundaries between the house and the exterior environment.
- Large Windows: Large openings provide a profuse influx of light and offer great vistas of the external physical environment.
- Low-Pitched Roofs: In MCM, the common type of roofing is a flat or low-sloping roof that runs along the length of the building.
- Natural Materials: MCM homes were made of natural materials such as wood and stones and the widely used glass.
- Bold Colors and Patterns: Despite MCM being typically ‘tone-on-tone,’ the design also aligns with bright colours and prints, especially used on furniture and paintings.
Popular MCM Design Elements
- Iconic Furniture: With sharp lines, sleek forms, and, of course, high materiality, mid-century modern furniture is a treasure of the twentieth century. Charismatic designers like Eames, Saarinen, and Noguchi have made items that have become associated with the style.
- Wall-to-Wall Carpeting: Shag carpeting was fashionable in the mid-century area, and the installation of shag carpeting in an MCM home will make it have a touch of the mid-century modern style.
- Terrazzo Flooring: This chip of marble, granite, quartz, or glass-based flooring option is one of the most suitable options that depicts a true MCM concept.
- Brick and Stone Accents: Most MCM homes have brick and stone design on the outer part, particularly on the fireplaces and walls.
