Table Of Content
- Polished post and beam in Crestwood Hills asking $3.4M
- A California home with Italian style
- What Is Midcentury Modern Style? Here's What You Should Know
- What Is mid-century modern style?
- Tips to build a mid century modern styled home
- Grow-at-home furniture
- Natural materials
- Decorate in a primary color palette

Pratt and Schwarzenegger, who welcomed their second daughter in 2022, looked to expand on their real estate holdings in 2023 with the purchase of a Brentwood residence for $12.5 million. According to reports, they purchased the Zimmerman House, designed by modernist architect Craig Ellwood in 1950. The stunning midcentury-modern abode was once featured in Progressive Architecture magazine, likely also because of the grounds, carefully curated by esteemed landscape designer Garrett Eckbo. The couple reportedly razed the existing 2,770-square-foot single-story home upon purchase, however, and are currently in the process of building a 15,000-square-foot, two-story home with the help of architect Ken Ungar.
Polished post and beam in Crestwood Hills asking $3.4M

The best part is that the material used for mid-century modern furniture is not confined to merely wood. Talking about upholstery, designers prefer retro designs with some fun geometric shapes, stripes, and fabrics like neutral wools. As the name suggests, mid-century modern interior design refers to the design style of the mid-1900s – from the 40s to the 60s. Be it fashion or interiors, ‘design’ has a way of reflecting upon the people, their way of life, culture, and beliefs.
A California home with Italian style
Mid-century modern living rooms focus on the simple basics, for example, with just a few pieces to complete the look. In line with functionality, avoid clutter or items that you simply don’t use or admire. Mid-century modern design is a timeless look, and its appeal comes with the fact it's so adaptable. It can brought in, in vary amounts and mixed with other styles really seamlessly to create transitional spaces that never date. For example, you can bring a mid-century modern couch into a traditional living room, or a mid-century print into a contemporary bedroom and it works. If you are after a style that will stand every changing tastes and trends mid-century is always a good ide.
What Is Midcentury Modern Style? Here's What You Should Know
If there’s one thing that’s going to create the illusion of more space in a small living room, it’s investing in the right furniture – it can actually make a room feel wider in seconds. Pattern was a big part of mid-century style, flamboyant, geometric, and abstract prints in particular. You can find some fabulous wallpapers if you want the pattern to be a real feature or just inject a hint of pattern with soft furnishings like the hint of leopard print used in this space. Today's take on mid-century is far more flexible and there are lots of versions of the look that have come out of the very practical, functional style.
Mid-century modern living room ideas do not have to be devoid of color or pattern. Beautiful blooms are an exquisite and easy way to add life and color to your 1950s interiors. Advancements in manufacturing allowed furniture designers to experiment with new materials, such as injection moulded plastics, with resulted in sculptural, sleek pieces of furniture in new colors, textures and forms.
Tips to build a mid century modern styled home
Artworks include a Lillian Florsheim sculpture (left) and a Lucio Fontana print above the fireplace. To the far right, red artworks from Bosco Sodi can be seen above a Mangiarotti marble table. About two months after their dash to Las Vegas, the Stahls decided to drive up to this mystery spot and have a look around. They found themselves gawping at the entirety of Los Angeles spread out below in a grid that went on for an eternity or two.
Take, for examples, the living room’s lush Mario Bellini mohair sofa (an icon of 1970s design), the handwoven Scandinavian wool rug balancing out the concrete floors, and the concrete fireplace counteracted with a warm woodgrain patterns. If it wasn’t obvious from all the pastel pink sofas and Danish sideboards lingering on your newsfeeds, midcentury-modern decor is still having a moment. Although sleek and timeless, the style can quickly monopolize a room (or make it appear dated) if it isn’t executed with care.
John, Susan, and their dog, Ivy, commune in the sitting area of the master bedroom. The Wide Angle Janus sofa by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture, found by John’s mother at a thrift store with the original orange fabric intact, was purchased for less than $100, including delivery. The coffee table is by Isamu Noguchi and the 9-Light LED pendant is by Sonneman. How a highly productive collaboration among a trio of creative Angelenas—and a good dose of Barragán—turned a dark and beleaguered midcentury house into a family home for the ages. The resulting design acquired its own flow, full of colorful narrative, spirited counterpoint, and anecdote. The style is so recognizable and specific - organic shapes paired with geometric shapes.
Decorate in a primary color palette
In the same Pacific Palisades living room, two seating areas were created to flank the original midcentury freestanding fireplace. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the Pacific, while tinted mirrors reflect garden views. If this studied interplay between historic and contemporary isn’t evidence that this design style can evolve, we don’t know what is. ‘Though modernism has its origins in the 19th century, mid-century modernism is absolutely tied to the middle decades of the 20th century, and directly evokes ideas of that era – many would call the style retro,’ he says.
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick's mid-century modern living room embraces a classic, calming color scheme - Homes & Gardens
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick's mid-century modern living room embraces a classic, calming color scheme.
Posted: Sat, 13 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
George Fred Keck, his brother Willam Keck, Henry P. Glass, Mies van der Rohe, and Edward Humrich created Mid-century modern residences in the Chicago area. Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House is extremely difficult to heat or cool, while Keck and Keck were pioneers in the incorporation of passive solar features in their houses to compensate for their large glass windows. “I was in my late teens when I first came across John Lautner’s work in a coffee table book, and it completely fascinated me,” Rønning says. The fireside composition in the living room encompasses an Oscar Niemeyer Alta lounge chair and ottoman, a Ciuingam sofa by De Pas D’Urbino Lomazzi, a Ribbon chair by Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi, and a Jean Claude Dresse cocktail table.
Studio Paradowski's renovation of a hotel in Kraków, Poland, was informed by the city's interwar cafes as well as the "clean functionalism" of its mid-century modern cinemas. Pair midcentury shapes with luxe finishes to make a more glamorous and dramatic living room. Cecilia Casagrande chose a dark green wall to contrast the bright gold velvet on the chairs to make the room feel moodier, then balanced out the heaviness of the finishings with lighter midcentury accessories.
Characterised by sinuous lines and boasting beautiful sculptural silhouettes, these Boucle Jagger armchairs, inspired by a 1970s design, are perfect for bringing presence to this simple living room without dominating it. Here, we have married 50s utilitarianism with 70s retro extravagance for a truly inspiring clash of styles. Furniture with a striking geometric form will be bold enough to hold its own against fabrics in uplifting vivid shades. Choose this scheme if you’re young at heart and into bold patterns and punchy colors, and take a more playful, irreverent approach when it comes to decor. You can dress it up with a unfussy, functional furniture, concrete elements and houseplants to pay homage to a bygone era.