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Midcentury Living Room Ideas and Designs

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Midcentury inspired new build
Midcentury inspired new build
Cat Dal InteriorsCat Dal Interiors
This new build architectural gem required a sensitive approach to balance the strong modernist language with the personal, emotive feel desired by the clients. Taking inspiration from the California MCM aesthetic, we added bold colour blocking, interesting textiles and patterns, and eclectic lighting to soften the glazing, crisp detailing and linear forms. With a focus on juxtaposition and contrast, we played with the ‘mix’; utilising a blend of new & vintage pieces, differing shapes & textures, and touches of whimsy for a lived in feel.
Portman House
Portman House
Juliet Murphy PhotographyJuliet Murphy Photography
Modernist EnerPHit Plus
Modernist EnerPHit Plus
EcosphericEcospheric
Living room with lighting by MS Lighting Design
Find the right local pro for your project
Find top design and renovation professionals on Houzz
Architects Project
Architects Project
Mark HardyMark Hardy
Portfolio
Portfolio
Martin SafroMartin Safro
Myrtle Grove mid century party house
Myrtle Grove mid century party house
Rocknest.coRocknest.co
Mid-Century Modern London Flat
Mid-Century Modern London Flat
Interior FoxInterior Fox
Rawlings Street
Rawlings Street
Anthro ArchitectureAnthro Architecture
View from the main reception room out across the double-height dining space to the rear garden beyond. The new staircase linking to the lower ground floor level is striking in its detailing with conceal LED lighting and polished plaster walling.
Mid-Century Modern Beach House
Mid-Century Modern Beach House
Pfeiffer DesignPfeiffer Design
Bristow Mews
Bristow Mews
MW ArchitectsMW Architects
Development of 2 new houses and conversion of a period coach house. The houses follow a collaborate craft principle of using high quality tradespeople to deliver well design quality homes.
Park Hill Flats
Park Hill Flats
Neil Perry PhotographyNeil Perry Photography
A House, Coach House & Garden
A House, Coach House & Garden
Culligan ArchitectsCulligan Architects
Carmel Mid-Century LEED
Carmel Mid-Century LEED
Studio SchicketanzStudio Schicketanz
Robert Canfield Photography
Woodhaven Modern
Woodhaven Modern
Flavin ArchitectsFlavin Architects
Our clients wanted to replace an existing suburban home with a modern house at the same Lexington address where they had lived for years. The structure the clients envisioned would complement their lives and integrate the interior of the home with the natural environment of their generous property. The sleek, angular home is still a respectful neighbor, especially in the evening, when warm light emanates from the expansive transparencies used to open the house to its surroundings. The home re-envisions the suburban neighborhood in which it stands, balancing relationship to the neighborhood with an updated aesthetic. The floor plan is arranged in a “T” shape which includes a two-story wing consisting of individual studies and bedrooms and a single-story common area. The two-story section is arranged with great fluidity between interior and exterior spaces and features generous exterior balconies. A staircase beautifully encased in glass stands as the linchpin between the two areas. The spacious, single-story common area extends from the stairwell and includes a living room and kitchen. A recessed wooden ceiling defines the living room area within the open plan space. Separating common from private spaces has served our clients well. As luck would have it, construction on the house was just finishing up as we entered the Covid lockdown of 2020. Since the studies in the two-story wing were physically and acoustically separate, zoom calls for work could carry on uninterrupted while life happened in the kitchen and living room spaces. The expansive panes of glass, outdoor balconies, and a broad deck along the living room provided our clients with a structured sense of continuity in their lives without compromising their commitment to aesthetically smart and beautiful design.
Modern Brazilian
Modern Brazilian
Jefferson Street DesignsJefferson Street Designs
Columbia Heights living room
Columbia Heights living room
Matter of ArchitectureMatter of Architecture
photo: http://www.esto.com/vecerka A renovation of an ornate, parlor level brownstone apartment on the Promenade in Brooklyn Heights with views to the Manhattan skyline. The space was reconfigured to create long views through the apartment around a sculptural “core”, its modern detailing and materials acting in counterpoint to the grandeur of the original detailing.
Seattle Mid Century Modern
Seattle Mid Century Modern
Darren Patt ConstructionDarren Patt Construction
Alameda Mid Century Modern
Alameda Mid Century Modern
Maxwell & Kennedy Staging + InteriorsMaxwell & Kennedy Staging + Interiors
We had a big, bright open space to work with. We went with neutral colors, a statement leather couch and a wool rug from CB2 with colors that tie in the other colors in the room. The fireplace mantel is custom from Sawtooth Ridge on Etsy. More art from Lost Art Salon in San Francisco and accessories from the clients travels on the bookshelf from S=CB2.
Woodside House 2
Woodside House 2
Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + DesignDotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

Midcentury Living Room Ideas and Designs

Looking for midcentury living room ideas? Whether your living room is lacklustre, your lounge is limited in space, your sitting room is suffering from outdated decor or your front room is full of clutter, there are midcentury living room ideas and designs that will inspire you to breathe life into your living space. Discover small living room ideas to help maximise tiny spaces or retro layout ideas that will work with awkward shaped living rooms. Perhaps you’re struggling to decide on living room colours? Read on for help with colours, layout and design ideas, or find inspiration from the millions of living room photos on Houzz.

Midcentury Living room wallpaper ideas

A good place to start when it comes to redesigning your living room is with the walls. While paint may seem the simplest choice, and easy to change, don’t discredit the design opportunities of midcentury wallpaper in living rooms. There are tons of great living room wallpaper ideas, from modern geometric patterns to traditional florals, and loads of ways to use them – you don’t have to cover the whole room or go for the ubiquitous feature wall. You could wallpaper only above the dado rail (if you have one), either side of a chimney breast, or behind a shelving unit to give your displayed items a stylish backdrop. Discover more living room wallpaper ideas or if paint is more your style, there’s plenty of living room designs to discover when it comes to paint ideas; just browse through the huge selection of retro living photos and search for the specific paint you’re after if you really want to narrow it down.

Small living room ideas

When it comes to our living room design, we want it to feel as welcoming and personality-filled as possible, but that can be a struggle when we’re working with a small space. But not to fear, there are midcentury small living room ideas to help you make most out of what you’re working with. A couple of retro small living room ideas can include: working with the height you have – installing floor-to-ceiling bookshelves or drawing the eye to the top of the walls with wallpaper; choosing space-saving or storage-incorporating (or both!) furniture, such as corner sofas with storage space under the chaise longue section; and keeping things symmetrical – a central fireplace with seating opposite, or seats facing each other, can give the illusion of a larger, more grand room. When it comes to the best decor for midcentury small living rooms, you can either choose to keep things light and airy to open up the space, or embrace the cosiness of the smaller area you have by going for warm colours and filling the room with your favourite accessories.

Living room layouts and choosing the right retro living room furniture

When it comes to the layout of your midcentury living room, it will depend on what pieces of furniture you have – but how do you choose what living room furniture to add, whether you’re refreshing your living room design or starting from scratch? The best place to start is with the midcentury seating – one corner sofa will usually seat three to four people, and if that’s all you think you’ll need, then you can leave it at that. Placing your sofa along the longest wall helps to make the most of the space, but think about where you want the focus of the room to be, too. If you need more seating, look at 1950s style armchairs that offer comfort but don’t take up too much space – cramming a room with too many large armchairs is something to avoid. But armchairs and sofas don’t have to be your only options – go for bean bags and floor cushions for an eclectic feel, pouffes and ottomans if you’re more traditional, and smart design chairs for contemporary living room ideas. Coffee tables are always handy, but you can always add a couple of 1960s style side tables if you don’t want to clutter the central space in front of seating with anything. If you centre your living room design around a fireplace or TV, then you might want storage and shelving to feature around the focus of your room. There are plenty of style options when it comes to TV units, and you can even go for bespoke living room storage units to make the most of the space if you want a sleek, built-in look. Keep reading below for more living room storage ideas. Discover a huge range of midcentury living room furniture, as well as living room accessories, to help you finish your room design.

Living room design ideas

Struggling with what living room colours to choose, or what style to go with? While a grey living room design is popular at the moment, you might not want to go with the ubiquitous colour. Although, if neutral and contemporary are the living room ideas you’re after, a grey sofa or grey walls will give you a good base to work on. If you want to stay neutral, beige is not your only other option, either. Light yellows, taupes and soft greys will work. Why not try adding simple but plush cushions to your sofa and a rug in these colours to achieve a modern-traditional look? For contemporary living room ideas, dark blues and greens are on trend, but if you don’t want to dive straight into the dark wall trend, you could opt for a couple of pieces of furniture, or go for dark-hued living room accessories instead. Whites, woods and pastels could work well for Scandinavian living room designs. If an eclectic living room is what you’re after, you could go for large print wallpaper, a statement lighting piece, vibrant rug and lots of colourful book or ornament displays. For a country feel, rustic carpet, stone hearths, comfy armchairs and traditional patterns in creams, greens and browns will give you that cosy cottage feel.

Living room storage ideas

It’s natural that our living rooms tend to attract lots of items and belongings seeing as they act as multipurpose living spaces. Whether you love to read a book; watch a film; let your children play with their toys; practise a craft like knitting or drawing; play a musical instrument or play video games in your sitting room, there will always be a need for a few extra retro living room ideas that can help you with storage. Apart from the standard bookcases, side tables and TV units, there are a few other handy living room storage ideas you can invest in. As mentioned before, if you have the room and budget for it, a built-in storage unit could be the way forward. With a well-built unit you could hide your TV, DVDs, players, books, video consoles and all sorts away in one place. If you don’t quite have a large enough area for one, you could look at shelving – either side of the chimney breast is a great place to install shelving if you have one in your living room. And don’t forget midcentury living room furniture such as sofas, benches and ottomans that lift up to reveal hidden storage; providing seating and storing space at the same time. With the right storage solutions your retro living room design could open up and feel so much more spacious and stylish. Discover more living room storage ideas by browsing these photos. Once you have your midcentury living room storage, colours, design, layout and furniture sorted, all that’s left is to browse the millions of living room ideas on Houzz and save your favourites to an ideabook. If you’re still searching for specific living room ideas, check out the popular pages below:
Modern Artful Guest House
Modern Artful Guest House
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