Editor’s Take: Mid-Century Modern

A front hall of a mid-century modern house featuring wooden flooring, a stone wall, and high windows.

Mid-century modern style is about design as a whole, function, and flow with crisp, clean lines.

Kitchen

What I love about the renovation of this 1948 home is that it’s a gentle remodel. Kristine Anderson of PKA Architecture embraced what was already there and, where updates were needed, ensured they were in sympathy with the original architecture. To add in contemporary nuance, the goal was to usher in light and flow while elevating the design, thus the roll-away doors and sleek and durable Cambria quartz countertops.

Cambria design shown: Fieldstone™

A kitchen with wooden floors and siding with a counter and kitchen island featuring Cambria Fieldstone quartz countertops.

Architecture

Strategically placed clerestory windows, which were very popular in the 1950s and ’60s, bring light deep into the interior.

Garage

Cantilevers are a big part of modernist design, and when you look closely, there are oh so many in this home, from the canopy outside the homeowners’ garage (behind the wife’s vintage sportscar!) to the kitchen’s Marcel Breuer bar stools.

An old blue car outside a mid-century modern house.

Living Room

Furnishings selected by interior designer Jay Nuhring have clean mid-century lines but are mostly contemporary—save the pink chair, which is a 1938 design by Gerrit Rietveld. Another contemporary insert is the lift-and-slide glass doors that open to the leafy patio.

Pantry

The olive-green glazed ceramic tiles in the pantry scream mid-century! If you’re not a fan of green, try mustard, burnt orange, or teal blue for a similar retro effect. Cambria design shown: Fieldstone

Bedroom

Classic mid-century modern homes were rife with wood paneling, often walnut. Here, however, it’s a warm African teak that plays off the color of the bedding.

Bathroom

If you’ve gone wild with a statement tile, like this sparkly blue mosaic, pair it with a simple white quartz countertop, such as Cambria’s subtle White Cliff™ , shown here in a high-sheen polish.

Mid-Century Modern Furnishings

Shop these woodsy walnut finds, a mix of original mid-century and contemporary designs, from furnishings mecca Design Within Reach.

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