Jenn Todryk's Must-Haves For Nailing The Mid-Century Modern Look In Your Home
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Mid-century modern has been an enduring interior design style since its inception. The mid-century style originated in the 1930s and continued through the 1960s and still influences contemporary interior design today. Many people seek out original mid-century pieces to decorate their homes. However, contemporary furniture pieces often have mid-century elements, so you just have to know what to look for. Luckily, Jenn Todryk has found pieces to make a living room embody the mid-century modern style. The pieces Todryk picks, including a wood sideboard with metal inlays and a petal table with a gold base, have many of the characteristics of traditional mid-century modern pieces.
This iconic style is known for its minimalist approach to design, featuring furniture with clean lines and unfussy details and rooms that are simple and uncluttered. Mixing multiple materials in one piece, especially wood, metal, stone, and vinyl, among others, was another popular furniture trend. Bringing nature inside through natural materials, plants, and earthy colors is another signature of mid-century design. You don't have to spend your free time looking for original furniture and décor from the era in antique stores, though that will always add a unique touch to a room. Todryk expertly finds pieces that mix materials and use shapes that mimic original designs.
Mid-century materials and shapes
Jenn Todryk's stunning statement piece for a mid-century-inspired living room is the Dustin Spiced Wood and Brass Inlay Cabinet from World Market. The dark-toned wood of this sideboard cabinet embodies the way original mid-century pieces utilized natural elements in their design. Plus, the decorative metal inlay with sleek linear designs on the doors is an example of mixing materials. Teak, oak, and beech are common varieties of wood used in mid-century modern furniture, beloved for their durability and rich colors. Using furniture in these wood varieties can also help give your home a mid-century look. This sideboard would be great storage for a living room, allowing you to store games, DVDs, and other items you want to keep out of sight.
The Leilani White Marble Top Tulip Table is another of Todryk's picks. This table also mixes materials by using a brass base with a white marble tabletop. But it's the shape of the table that's truly evocative of the era. Tulip tables were created by Eero Saarinen in 1956 and quickly became an icon of the mid-century aesthetic. Though the Leilani table is meant for the dining room, it's small enough to use as a tall accent table, styled with a lamp and potted leafy plant. The Drum Storage Coffee Table from West Elm, another of Todryk's picks, has a sleek shape and mixes a brass finish with a walnut table top, creating a statement piece.
Get inspired by original mid-century pieces
The simple and sleek Clayton Upholstered Sofa from Wayfair may seem like a standard choice. But Jenn Todryk showed that this pick has a mid-century influence, making it perfect for adding that style to your home. You can see the inspiration from the designs of Florence Knoll, which featured a slim platform and legs supporting a sleek, boxy sofa. While the original Knoll designs used a metal base, the Clayton sofa has a dark wood base, which is still very mid-century. Though the Clayton sofa has fluffy cushions, another way to add a mid-century style would be to choose a design with tufted cushions, similar to Knoll's designs.
Todryk also chose accent seating that calls back to some iconic mid-century designs. The armchair is reminiscent of the LC2 chair, designed by Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier. Though the one Todryk chose is sold out, the Posse accent chair from English Elm is similar. Both chairs are square with a metal frame around the sides and back. Use two side chairs with a side table to create a vignette to read or relax in the living room. The Fynn Wood and Cane Back Dining Armchair from World Market pulls inspiration from the creations of Pierre Jeanneret, cousin and collaborator to Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, who also designed furniture. This Jeanneret chair mixes cane and wood, bringing natural influences into the space.
Add mid-century in the small details
Lighting is a must-have element in any well-designed room. Jenn Todryk chose the Newport 12 Sputnik Modern Linear Chandelier from Wayfair. The angular light fixture takes inspiration from the original Sputnik chandelier designed by Gino Sarafatti, which has a star-like shape created by arms of various lengths jutting out from a central base. The Sputnik chandelier Todryk picked out has a similar geometric shape as well as a mixed-metal base and globe-shaped bulbs, which are also common in mid-century modern design. The Brightech Montage Modern Floor Lamp from Amazon that Todryk selected for this mid-century-inspired room has the sleek profile of many original mid-century modern lighting fixtures and a brass finish that calls back to the era.
The Beige Fading Herati Medallion area rug from Rugs USA will add a bit of color and pattern to a room. This rug uses earthy shades of reds, oranges, and green, among neutral colors, which embody mid-century aesthetics by infusing nature in the design. Todryk brings geometric prints into the living room with a set of decorative throw pillow covers and a pillow with a design with fringe accents. The neutral color scheme of these pillows allows them to fit into a mid-century modern or another kind of contemporary style. Todryk chooses a variety of gold and wood accessories to accent the space, including a geometric wall shelf and a rounded, rectangular mirror.