Difference Between Mid Century vs Mid Century Modern Furniture ?
How do you determine whether the design of our furniture is modern, contemporary, or mid-century modern?
When you hear the word “modern,” you may start thinking of something current or associated with present trends. It might be surprising to learn that the modern design movement ended almost 50 years ago. Yes, it is true. Every single furniture design that comes in the market or in trend is inspired by the furniture style of the era of the 50s and 60s.
Whether it is art deco, vintage, classic, contemporary, or mid century, modern style furniture is characterized by the emphasis on symmetry and a sense of balance and comfort. However, there are some notable differences between mid century furniture and modern furniture.
Table of content
- Characteristics of mid century furnishings
- Mid century is bold but cozy
- It focuses on patterns than textures
- Mid century uses more warm wood
- Characteristics of modern furnishings
- Modern furniture has a pop of unlimited color
- Modern furniture is not limited to wood only
- Patterns and textures are essential
- Adaptable and adjustable
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Characteristics of mid century furnishings
Furniture in the style of mid-Century modern is cozy, but it focuses more on functionality. Offering several compartments, these are sleek enough to fit in small spaces. Consider some noticeable characteristics of mid-century furnishings.
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Mid century is bold but cozy
Mid-century modern features bold colors. These accent colors are designed to pop against neutral earth tones. The most common colors that are always in trend are mustard, red, and deep blues
Focusing more on functionality, mid century design furniture is still cozy and comfortable. This furniture style comes in a sleek style perfect to fit in small spaces. This style gains so much popularity and is the favorite choice of most homeowners.
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It focuses on patterns than textures
Mid-century modern emphasizes bold patterns. Geometric forms are an icon of the style. Sometimes, you’ll see abstract wallpaper and colorful, geometric rugs. When you compare the furniture designs and patterns, you can say that sleek lines, and organic shapes are specific to mid-century modern designs furniture. Furthermore, the materials and methods reimagine traditional pieces. This gives a sense of the past with their iconic furniture style and design pattern.
An Explosion Of Color
In the MCM design philosophy, colors are utilized in an interesting manner. For example, some would prefer to have their walls bare while using loud colors on the furniture and the overall design of the room. In a way, the bare walls allow the color to shine through these spaces.
However, there are also times when the walls will have bold colors. When it comes to this, the designer would opt for loud wall décor pieces that will really bring excitement to a room.
For the floors, the designers back then utilized carpets to add the neutrality or color to a room. But now, they are choosing to install tiles with loud or neutral colors. FC Floor Center has a variety of products for you to choose from. If you are looking for a pop of color, you can look at FC’s Chroma Collection. Here’s one of the tiles in the collection:
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Mid century uses more warm wood
Mid century furniture incorporates wood, but with different and vibrant colors. Mid-century modern furniture is warm. It is not as dark as espresso wood but more like a medium shade. Common hues include walnut and oak. This furniture style is all about large shapes, patterns, and strong textures.
Mid-century interior design marks an architectural and artistic era that spanned from the 1930s to the 1960s. It also forms part of the ultimate aesthetic cleanse, modern design. Modernism took shape as a reaction to the overly ornate and formal trends of the 1800s. By the 1930s, there was a spike in modern design due to the need for affordable practicality after World War I and newfound international influences, like Scandinavian design.
In this unique mix, this look became one of the popular styles of the era, and was finally coined ‘mid-century modern’ after its reign in the 1980s by writer Cara Greenberg.
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Characteristics of modern furnishings
Modern design can be classified by the type and use of wood and other materials. This furniture furnishing has a considerable focus on functionality and clean lines. Below are some characteristics of modern style furniture.
Mid-century modern interiors are visually light and stick to the form-follows-function principle. As a result, creations from this period tend to take up as little space as possible. There is nothing unnecessary in their design. In terms of materials, plastic and wood often feature in furniture design, whereas architects relied on, then revolutionary, reinforced concrete and steel.
Mid-century modern houses, like the designs by Frank Lloyd Wright, have characteristic flat roofs, large rectangular windows and could even be cylindrical in structure. What’s more, these new buildings could tower over existing homes and offices. What we now know as skyscrapers and modernism, in all its forms, changed the private and public spheres forever.
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Modern furniture has a pop of unlimited color
The modern look is all about experimenting and not shying away from bold choices. Whether paired with other colors or used for a clean, monochromatic look, these earthy hues reflect the handcrafted, organic nature of the mid century modern design. Textiles and accessories feature these interesting colors, and you can always incorporate them into your home.
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Modern furniture is not limited to wood only
Modern furniture is usually made from natural materials. These include wood, linen, and leather. Other materials, like metal and plastic, are also common in the composition of chairs. In general, there is a great rise in the furniture craze and the trend is toward open and airy spaces. Modern furniture, however, is largely made from man-made materials such as plywood, laminated boards, chipboards, and hardboard as opposed to solid natural wood.
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Patterns and textures are essential
Modern furniture uses texture and pattern to create areas of interest to guide the eye to particular focal points. Pattern and Texture are both elements of design, and modern furniture adopts both. These furniture elements enhance the beauty of a house giving it a pleasing look.
This sophisticated style took inspiration from the Bauhaus movement which focused on practicality, designed for comfort in everyday living. The basic concept was that it was made for everybody; Charles once said that chairs should not be designed for how people should sit, but for how they do sit.
The best way to describe this style is a mishmash of concepts and designs; the aesthetic integrates natural materials, associated with the more classic furniture styles, with man-made materials, associated with the modern world of form and function. In the same way, mid-century modern interior décor features beauty from the outdoors and the indoors which is why you will see an abundance of plants, as well as curved lines and metal tapered table legs.
One of the perks of this trend is that it is individualist, meaning that it can be personalized to everyone’s particular taste. The color palette can range from muted pastel tones including earthy greens and soft browns, to bright pops of color such as mustards, olive greens, wine reds, and oranges; there are no strict rules when it comes to this type of design because it is tailored to each individual.
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Adaptable and adjustable
The modern style of furniture is more adaptive and adjustable, especially for workplaces. As opposed to highlighting adornments, they focused on neatness and giving off an uncluttered appearance. This flexibility will be achieved only with modern furniture with its adaptable and adjustable features.
Ever wondered what mid-century modern interior design looks like? Furniture trends are always forever changing from maximalism & minimalism, to art deco & classical; with so much choice, it can sometimes be overwhelming to find something that reflects your personal style. So, why not opt for a trend that incorporates a variety of styles?
Over the past few years, vintage furniture has become especially popular among interior design lovers; as well as this trope, there has also been a shift towards more minimalistic home styling, inspired by Scandinavian furniture trends. Somehow, these design concepts have merged together to create what we know today as ‘mid-century modern’.
If you are someone who is drawn to luxury living and quality furniture, then this trend may be the perfect choice for your home. Find out what mid-century modern truly looks like and how you can replicate it in your home
Conclusion
From the perspective of designing furniture, modern and mid-century modern are comparatively similar. In the context of modern design, mid-century modern has now become a subcategory. Because of that, there is some overlapping. Since mid-century-modern aesthetics encompass minimalistic elements, it also encompasses elements of mid-century modern.
Hi! I’m Komal fatima, a content writer with 2 years of experience. I write SEO articles, website content, blog posts, guest posts, and copy writings for businesses that want to see their Google search rankings surge. I also have extensive experience with content marketing. Until now, I have completed a number of projects ranked on Google’s first page in this field.
