Mid Century Modern Decor: A Style Guide
Mid century modern decor is built on clean lines, gentle curves and warm wood: a teak sideboard on tapered legs, a low sofa, a leather lounge chair and one bold graphic print. For the art, choose simple shapes in a retro palette of mustard, burnt orange, olive and teal, set against a cream or warm white wall.
Below: the key elements of the style, how to choose art for it, ideas for the living room and bedroom, and how to keep the look feeling current.
Prints for this look
The colour palette
What mid century modern style is
Mid century modern describes the furniture and interiors designed from the mid 1940s to the late 1960s, when new materials and methods made simple, practical furniture available to more homes. Five elements define it:
- Clean lines and organic curves. Nothing fussy or carved, but soft rounded corners and kidney-shaped tables are common.
- Raised furniture on tapered legs, so you can see the floor beneath. It keeps rooms feeling light.
- Warm wood, especially teak and walnut, with moulded plywood, leather and brass.
- A warm palette. Cream and wood tones with mustard, burnt orange, olive and teal as accents.
- Graphic pattern and art. Geometric shapes, starbursts, bold posters and stylised plants.
Choosing art for a mid century modern room
Mid century modern art is graphic and confident. Look for:
- Bauhaus and cut-out shapes: circles, arcs and blocks of flat colour
- Retro posters for jazz, travel and exhibitions
- Simple abstracts and stylised botanical silhouettes
- Sunbursts, stripes and repeating geometric patterns
Pick one or two colours from the MCM palette and let them sit against plenty of cream. Thin walnut, oak or black frames suit the style; ornate or distressed frames do not. Avoid photographic realism and very pale pastels, which lose the bold, flat-colour feel.
Browse our mid century modern wall art and Bauhaus prints, or see more ideas in mid century modern wall art for the living room.
Mid century modern living room and bedroom
Living room. Start with a low sofa on wooden legs, a teak or walnut sideboard and a lounge chair. The sideboard is the natural home for art: hang an A2 or A1 with its bottom edge 15 to 25 cm above the top, or lean a print on the sideboard next to a lamp and a stack of records. Above a sofa, aim for art about two thirds its width, centred at 145 to 150 cm from the floor.
Bedroom. A walnut headboard, crisp white bedding and a mustard or teal throw set the tone. A painted wall in olive, teal or deep blue makes graphic prints stand out. Above the bed, choose one A1 above a double, or a pair of A2 prints above a king size.
Dining and hallway. A pair of A3 prints above a sideboard, or a single poster beside a sunburst mirror, keeps the look going through the house.
Sizes at a glance
| Size | Centimetres | Inches | Works for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 | 8.3 x 11.7 | Shelves, desks, small gaps, sets of 3 |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 | 11.7 x 16.5 | Hallways, side walls, pairs |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 | 16.5 x 23.4 | Above a sideboard or small sofa, the anchor of a gallery wall |
| A1 | 59.4 x 84.1 | 23.4 x 33.1 | Above a standard sofa or bed |
| A0 | 84.1 x 118.9 | 33.1 x 46.8 | Large walls, open-plan rooms, statement pieces |
All our A sizes fit standard off-the-shelf frames, and every print is made to order on museum-grade matte paper.
Keeping it current, not a museum
The best MCM rooms mix one or two strong period pieces with simple modern furniture. You do not need everything from the same decade. A new sofa, a vintage sideboard and a graphic print will feel more lived in than a perfectly matched set.
Plants help too: a large leafy plant in a simple pot softens all that wood and fits the indoor-outdoor spirit of the era. To plan a group of prints above a sideboard or sofa, try the gallery wall planner.
