Creating a Mid-Century Modern Oasis in Your Bedroom

Despite being firmly rooted in the past, the influence of mid-century modern design can still be seen everywhere today. From the cool mushroom table lamp that caught your eye when you were out shopping, to the chic tapered legs on your coffee table, mid-century style continues to be hugely influential within the world of interior design.

What is Mid-Century Modern Style?

Mid-century modern is a style that emerged in the middle of the twentieth century. Its presence was felt globally; however, it's a style that was most popular in Europe, Brazil, and North America.

Mid-century modern emerged during a time of progress and momentum, with people finding ways to unlock their potential in a post-war economy that was starting to truly flourish. A focus on simplicity and functionality helped to ensure the popularity of mid-century modern design, which is a style that has well and truly earned its iconic status.

If you want to design a stylish bedroom that leans into the timelessness of mid-century chic, here are some ideas that will help you to create a space that taps into the past while simultaneously feeling very current.

Minimise Visual Clutter With Functional Storage Solutions

Mid-century spaces often feel sleek and polished, so tucking items away in easily accessible cupboards can keep visual clutter to a minimum without compromising usability. Selecting custom wardrobe doors for your bedroom is an excellent way to personalise your space without breaking the bank, and enables you to breathe a new lease of life into existing cupboards.

As simplicity is such a defining characteristic of this design style, you can't go wrong when selecting wardrobe doors with a sleek and clean silhouette. Our Ora slab style doors in a supermatt cashmere, aquamarine or agave green finish will work beautifully in a mid-century modern bedroom.

Wardrobe doors with a beautiful wood finish also shine in mid-century modern bedrooms. Our Valore slab doors in a rich Vanguard walnut finish allow the natural wood grain to do all the talking in a bold yet measured fashion.

Prioritise Functionality

Whether your bedroom is compact or more spacious, prioritising functionality is one of the keys to designing a mid-century space that feels authentic. Mid-century furniture typically has a slimline design and brings character to a space without taking up too much visual real estate.

Pro Tip: If you're working with a particularly small footprint, swapping standard bedside tables for a floating, wall-mounted shelf can free up some floor space without compromising on functionality.

Maximise Natural Light

Mid-century modern spaces come alive when they're bathed in natural light, which is why buildings constructed during this period often feature large windows. However, not many of us live in a location that allows us to opt out of window treatments completely, and curtains are often necessary to achieve the level of privacy needed to truly enjoy our space.

Balancing maximising natural light with the need for privacy in a bedroom space can be tricky; however, sheer curtains and a blackout blind can be an ideal combination. But if you love the drama of floor-length curtains and their ability to make a real style statement, something as simple as installing beautiful curtain hooks can enable as much natural light to flow into your room during the day.

Layer Luxury Materials

Texture is an ideal way to give a mid-century room some additional depth, interest and character. Luxury materials often have interesting textures, so incorporating velvet, leather, mohair or boucle accents into your design will always enhance your space. From luxurious velvet curtains to a beautiful boucle headboard, this is a real opportunity to explore how even the smallest additions to a space can elevate the whole design.

Curate Your Colour Palette

Mid-century modern interiors are often created around a muted, neutral colour palette. This is because spaces often centre pieces with iconic silhouettes, and incorporating too many colours can detract from the clean lines and simplicity that have become synonymous with mid-century design.

Neutral colour palettes also work really well within bedroom designs, as they have a calming and tranquil vibe that can promote rest and relaxation. So, when putting together your colour palette, you may want to incorporate several shades of cream or beige, perhaps offering some contrast with flashes of earthy taupe, brown, ochre or green.

Pro Tip: If you love colour and you're not feeling particularly inspired at the prospect of designing a neutral or muted space, don't panic because when mid-century style does colour, it's bold! Choose two bright, high contrast hues to incorporate into your space, such as teal and fuchsia, mustard and red, or cobalt blue and orange.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main characteristics of mid-century modern design?

Clean lines and optimal functionality are a few defining characteristics of mid-century design. In terms of how this translates to furniture and interior accessories, mid-century pieces often have simple yet instantly recognisable silhouettes, and they ultimately support specific ways of interacting with a space. For example, bedside tables provide ample storage space in an aesthetically pleasing way and don't make a space feel cluttered.

Which finish should I choose for wardrobe doors in a mid-century inspired bedroom?

Colour and texture are significant aspects of mid-century modern design. For this reason, we recommend choosing wardrobe doors with a wood finish that celebrates the natural grain or a matt painted finish in a neutral or earthy tone. Glossy wardrobe doors can sometimes be used to great effect; however, they often feel a touch too contemporary and can look somewhat jarring, particularly when positioned beside vintage furniture pieces that have a charming lived-in feel.

Are custom wardrobe doors easy to install?

High quality made-to-measure wardrobe doors are incredibly simple to install, and you'll typically only need a screwdriver to complete the task. We recommend following our installation guide to ensure a perfect fit, and including hinge hole placement measurements to simplify the installation process further.