Mid-century modern design refers to the style of architecture, interior design, products and graphic design from the middle of the 20th century, roughly 1933 to 1965. The style emerged as a reaction against the domination of previous styles like Art Deco in the 1930s and 1940s and aimed to establish a new design language that represented modern living in the post-war era.
Mid-century modern style is characterized by clean, simple lines, organic shapes, extensive use of new man-made materials, embrace of new technologies and abandonment of unnecessary decoration. It reflected the ethos of modernism and the excitement around scientific innovation, the space age and the atomic era. The open floor plans and ample use of glass sought to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces.
When it comes to color, mid-century modern design departed from the mostly neutral palettes of its predecessors. While it didn’t embrace the kind of lavish, saturated hues found in the Victorian era, mid-century modern wasn’t afraid of color either. The color palettes reflected the postwar optimism and the idea of the future as a bright, new frontier. Let’s take a closer look at the key colors used in mid-century modern design.
Primary Colors
The primary colors – red, blue and yellow – played an important role in mid-century modern aesthetics. These strong, basic hues perfectly captured the bold, graphic sensibility that mid-century designers aspired to.
Red added vibrancy and visual impact. It was often used for accent pieces like furniture or lampshades. The classic Eames lounge chair features panels of red next to the black leather. The sparkling hues of red glass were also popular for decorative objects.
Blue conveyed a calming effect that balanced out some of the high energy of mid-century style. Robin’s egg blue was a popular pastel shade for furniture upholstery. Denim blue kitchen appliances also featured widely. The classic Marimekko Unikko flower pattern prominently featured stripes of Klein blue.
Yellow embodied the cheerful optimism of the era. Bright yellow was widely used in fabrics for curtains and upholstery. Softer shades like lemon yellow and Dijon mustard yellow were also popular accents. Yellow added a warm glow to many mid-century interiors.
Accent Colors
Beyond the primary triad, mid-century designers weren’t afraid to liven things up with bold pops of accent colors. These secondary hues added visual interest and highlights:
Orange – Vibrant orange lent a playful, energetic accent. The fiberglass shell chairs popularized by Charles and Ray Eames often came in orange hues. Appliances and decorative objects in bright orange stood out.
Pink – From hot pink to dusty rose, pink shades added feminine flair. Salmon pink was a popular tone for tile and textiles. Combinations of black and pink were common in fabrics and wallpapers.
Turquoise – The cool blue-green tones of turquoise glassware and tiled surfaces featured widely in mid-century designs, inspired by Mayan ruins and artifacts discovered at the time.
Chartreuse – Vivid chartreuse green provided striking contrast. Designers like Alexander Girard used the electric hue in textiles and children’s furnishings.
Purple – Deep purple glass objects were signature of the era. Grape and lilac purple shades were favored in carpeting and fabrics to add dimension.
Neutrals
While mid-century modern embraced color, it also relied heavily on a range of neutrals to create balance. Clean, neutral backdrops let the bright colors pop even more.
White – Stark white surfaces epitomized the minimalist aesthetic, especially in Scandinavian mid-century designs. White allowed other accent colors to stand out.
Black – Sleek black lent sophistication and edge, often contrasted with white. Many iconic mid-century furnishings came in black such as the Tulip table.
Wood tones – Different natural wood stains provided warmth. Mid-century designers took advantage of new laminate processes to create stylized wood effects on furnishings and cabinets.
Greige – Mixtures of gray and beige created versatile neutrals for large surface areas like walls and cabinetry, at once modern and natural.
Metallics – Polished chrome, stainless steel and aluminum surfaces celebrated new manufacturing techniques and the space age aesthetic.
Color Combinations
Beyond individual hues, mid-century designers created signature looks through strategic color pairings:
Black & White – The contrast of inky black against pristine white surfaces was a quintessential mid-century combination, lending spaces a sleek, elegant aesthetic.
Blue & Orange – Complimentary blue and orange made vibrant statements, with blue offering cool contrast to orange’s fiery warmth.
Pink & Red – Coordinate shades of pink and red created feminine spaces with playful energy. Small red accent pieces stood out against pink walls and textiles.
Yellow & Gray – Yellow added liveliness against a calming gray backdrop. Sunny yellow balanced out moody charcoal and slate grays.
Turquoise & Brown – Earthy browns and wood tones grounded the verve of turquoise in accent pieces like tiled walls and barware.
Chartreuse & Purple – Electric chartreuse and deep purple made for an eclectic color scheme with retro energy.
Regional Styles
Beyond these major hues, mid-century palettes varied across different countries and regions:
Scandinavian – Clean, light colors like white, gray, blue and teak brown reflected the minimalist Nordic sensibility. Pops of red, yellow and chartreuse provided contrast.
American – Deep blues, bold reds and eclectic accent colors like orange and turquoise embodied the flashy exuberance of 50s and 60s America.
Italian – Earthy hues like ochre yellow, olive green, terracotta and walnut brown referenced Italy’s heritage and landscapes. Splashes of red and purple added flair.
Japan – Natural tones like rice paper white, inky black, slate gray and bamboo tan aligned with traditional Japanese principles of harmony between color and nature.
Notable Designers
Many legendary designers made their mark on mid-century color palettes and helped define the era’s aesthetic:
Eero Saarinen – Favored sophisticated neutrals accented with high-impact hues in furnishings like the Tulip table and Womb chair.
Charles & Ray Eames – Used bright primary colors, especially in their iconic plywood and fiberglass chairs and toys.
Alexander Girard – Injected whimsical, eclectic color combinations into textile designs, especially for children’s furnishings.
Verner Panton – Experimented wildly with color in lighting, furniture and textiles including the iconic Panton chair in rainbow hues.
Arne Jacobsen – Embraced muted earth tones like gray and brown along with muted pastels for a refined Danish palette.
George Nelson – Favored sophisticated neutral palettes punctuated by pops of yellow, chartreuse and red in furnishings and lighting.
The Impact of New Materials
The development of new man-made materials greatly expanded the color possibilities for mid-century designers:
Plastics – Allowed for molded furniture and household objects in shiny pops of colors not possible with wood or metal. Bright reds, oranges, yellows became common.
Fiberglass – Similarly allowed vividly colored furnishings like the iconic Eames shells chair in sunny yellows, grassy greens, and zingy oranges.
Laminates – Manufactured wood laminates let designers use wood-patterned surfaces in any color for furniture and cabinetry. This expanded hues beyond natural wood tones.
Synthetic fabrics – Fabrics like nylon and polyester opened the door for curtains, furniture upholstery and carpeting in almost any conceivable color and pattern.
Appliances – New appliances in colors like sunshine yellow, robin’s egg blue and tomato red became status symbols in the modern home.
Influence on Graphic Design
Mid-century modern color palettes directly influenced graphic design and marketing materials of the period through:
Clean Lines – Compositions focused on clean horizontal and vertical lines echoing modern architectural forms.
Bold Geometry – Shapes were simplified into circles, triangles and squares in bright colors juxtaposed together.
Flat Graphics – Images and illustrations were stripped of surface detailing and depth for a flat, graphically bold aesthetic.
Primary Colors – Strong reds, blues and yellows dominated vintage poster and advertisement designs.
Simple Fonts – Sans serif typefaces like Helvetica reigned supreme as the typography of modernism.
Retro Motifs – Atomic era images of stars, orbits and rockets along with stylized plant and animal shapes were common graphic motifs.
Vintage Photos – Photographs from the era likewise adopted the bright, graphic look through use of filters and effects.
Modern Usage
While styles have changed over the decades, mid-century color palettes remain influential in design today. These retro hues offer timeless style:
Neutrals – Sophisticated modern spaces still embrace white, black, gray and wood tones as chic and versatile backdrops.
Pops of Color – Carefully chosen accent colors like citrus yellow, powder blue and tomato red can enliven minimalist, monochrome spaces.
Retro Fabrics – Mid-century modern textile prints with signature bright florals, stripes and atomic shapes remain fashionable for curtains, upholstery and bedding.
Vintage Items – Collectors still covet brightly colored mid-century wares like turquoise barware, orange fiberglass chairs, and chartreuse lamps.
Graphic Inspiration – Mid-century graphics continue influencing logo designs, packaging, posters and other areas where bold, minimalist aesthetics are desired.
The upbeat, vibrant colors that symbolized mid-century optimism have endured as mainstays of modern, eclectic spaces. Today’s designers continue to pull inspiration from the signature hues, palettes and graphic sensibilities that captured the emergence of mid-century style.
Conclusion
The mid-century modern era embraced color in fresh, innovative ways that captured the optimism and future focus of the period. Designers leveraged new materials like plastics and fiberglass to explore exciting hues beyond traditional neutrals. Primary colors added vibrancy while eclectic accents like pink, turquoise and chartreuse lent retro flair. Strategic color combinations created signature looks, from sophisticated black and white to playful red and pink palettes.
While regional styles varied, some universal mid-century modern color associations emerged: bright reds signaled bold accents; cool blues conveyed calming balance; sunny yellows embodied cheerful energy. These hues appeared across furnishings, textiles, interior schemes and graphic design. Mid-century modern color palettes were integral to defining the era’s aesthetic vision of modernism. Thanks to their enduring appeal, they continue to shape design today as mainstays of contemporary, eclectic spaces.
