What is Mid Century Modern?

I was talking to a friend the other day who asked, what exactly constitutes mid century modern.  I was surprised because the aesthetic of MCM has become so ubiquitous in the last few years, I thought everyone knew by now.   A lot of people throw around the term "modern" when what they probably really mean is contemporary.  Contemporary means "now", it's the fashion or the design of today.  "Modern" tends to refer more to something that happened at a moment in time.  Mid Century Modern happened right smack dab in the middle of the last century.  Think mid 1940s through 60s.

This design style has never totally gone out of style, though in the 70s people thought it looked "dated".  Some people with good taste never did get tired of it and it sort of evolved into a kind of Scandinavian design concept.

It's a lovely style full of clean lines and designer chairs and lots of linear feel.  It has the ability to be warm and austere all at the same time.

Here are some great examples of mid century design, and after the photos a re-cap of some of the recent posts (with links) I've done on particular styles of home design, all prompted by questions from blog readers and other who want to know what separates one style from another.

Your midcentury inspirational photos:

Other posts you might want to check out:

Shabby Chic

Hollywood Regency

Transitional Design

Primitive, Cottage & French/English Country


More to come in this series!