Retro style, often associated with the “Mad Men” era, refers to the midcentury modern time frame and encompasses various styles, colors, patterns, furniture, and decor. Modern retro is a design concept that combines elements from the past with modern aesthetics to create a unique and visually appealing style. It embraces nostalgia and draws inspiration from various eras, such as the 1960s TV show Mad Men.
Modern retro designs can be anything from a modern design inspired by features of an older design style or an updated version of a vintage design. These designs are colorful and mesmerizing geometric designs that have been echoed in art, design, and decor throughout history. Retro design can be anything from a modern design that was inspired by features of an older design style to an updated version of a vintage design.
Modern retro takes its stylistic influences from more recent decades, such as the late 1970s through the 90s. Key elements of modern retro design include color palette, geometric patterns, sleek lines, minimalist silhouettes, statement lighting, and more. Retro design is like a bridge connecting the past with the present, drawing inspiration from design styles of the bygone eras.
At Retro Modern Designs, their business model is simple yet revolutionary, producing high-end designer furniture at affordable prices, making luxury products accessible to everyone. By incorporating elements from the past into contemporary artwork, modern retro designs not only covey the feeling of home but also create a specific aesthetic that pleases the senses.
📹 HOW TO DECORATE MID CENTURY MODERN | super in depth guide♥
Howdy friends, today we’re taking a look at how to decorate mid-century modern style! By the end of this video, you will officially …
What is the difference between vintage and retro design?
Vintage and retro items are often confused, but they are distinct concepts. Vintage refers to authentic items from a past era, while retro refers to new items made to imitate past items. Urban Americana, located in Long Beach, offers a variety of vintage furniture, including chairs, couches, dining tables, lamps, and storage options. For those outside Long Beach, Urban Americana offers daily updates on their selection, providing a convenient way to furnish your home with vintage pieces.
What is vintage modern design?
Modern vintage is an interior design style that skillfully blends antique and classic elements with contemporary features to create an aesthetic entirely its own. It is a great style to showcase personality without strict decorating rules. However, achieving the right balance of old and new can be tricky. Modern interior design is typically characterized by simplicity and minimalism, with neutral colors, monochromatic palettes, sleek lines, and natural light.
It emphasizes balance and symmetry, with no gaudy or ornate decor or embellishments. To master this style, it is essential to break down it into two parts: modern and vintage. By understanding the fine line between modern and vintage, one can create a unique and personal aesthetic that showcases their personality without adhering to strict decorating rules.
What is the meaning of retro design?
Retro design is a style that imitates or is consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the historical past, including music, fashions, and attitudes. It is also known as “vintage-inspired” and is a throwback design genre that incorporates design elements from decades past. Modern retro, also known as “modern retro”, focuses on designs from the 60s and 70s, with niche genres influenced by other decades like 20s art deco and 90s blocky shapes. This style aims to give the viewer a sense of nostalgia.
What does retro style look like?
Retro clothes are based on old styles and designs, often made from contemporary fabrics using modern machinery and methods. They have a modern feel while a nod to past times. The term “retro” comes from the Latin for backwards, and retro clothing imitates the physical appearance of past fashions.
There are several reasons to buy vintage and retro clothing, including attending vintage events like the Goodwood Revival, which celebrate iconic events like motor races and World War II. Enthusiasts at these events often source vintage clothing from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, showcasing the rich history of the past.
What is the retro art style?
The term “retro” is used to describe a style of pop art that emerged during the 1940s and 1950s. This style was driven by a demand for bold and eye-catching graphic designs that could be mass-produced. In its article, Canva identifies several retro design styles, including Art Nouveau, Dada, Bauhaus, and Art Deco, which may serve as sources of inspiration for designers. Art Nouveau, an ornamental art style movement, originated between 1890 and 1910.
What is modern retro design?
The modern-retro style is a unique design concept that combines present influences with past elements. It features bold colors, patterns, prints, geometric shapes, and textures. With the right color theme and furniture, a bedroom can be transformed into a retro wonderland. Combining striking hues with zinc-toned bights creates a perfect blend of bold and contemporary. Home depot offers a guide to this palette, including popular options like Hot-n-Spicy, Sunset in the Desert, Regal Bearing, Shady, Landing, Casa del Mar, Eye of the Storm, and African Mud. Wood elements in flooring and furniture add warmth and comfort to the modern-retro theme.
What is meant by retro style?
Retro style is a term used to describe new artifacts that self-consciously refer to the past, such as music, fashions, or attitudes. It has been used since 1972 to describe both new artifacts and styles created in the past. Retro style focuses on the recent past, focusing on products, fashions, and artistic styles produced since the Industrial Revolution, the successive styles of Modernity. The term retro comes from the Latin prefix retro, meaning backwards or in past times.
In France, the term rétro gained cultural currency with reevaluations of Charles de Gaulle and France’s role in World War II. The French mode rétro of the 1970s was reappreciated in film and novels, and was soon applied to nostalgic French fashions that recalled the same period. The term “rétro” has gained cultural currency in recent years.
What type of style is retro?
Retro clothes are based on old styles and designs, often made from contemporary fabrics using modern machinery and methods. They have a modern feel while a nod to past times. The term “retro” comes from the Latin for backwards, and retro clothing imitates the physical appearance of past fashions.
There are several reasons to buy vintage and retro clothing, including attending vintage events like the Goodwood Revival, which celebrate iconic events like motor races and World War II. Enthusiasts at these events often source vintage clothing from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, showcasing the rich history of the past.
What is retro vs vintage?
Vintage and retro are two distinct styles that can be combined to create a unique and stylish space. Vintage items, which are at least 20 years old, evoke nostalgia and good times from the past, while retro items, which are newer and more affordable, mimic styles from the past but are not from a different time era. These two types of items can be combined to create a unique and affordable space.
An example of combining vintage and retro items is a kitchen and dining room combo with a vintage midcentury dining table set and a retro stove or refrigerator. Antiques, which are typically around 100 years old, are made from handmade wooden furnishings or old decor, while retro items, such as 1980s flair furnishings, are newer made items that mimic styles from the past.
Despite their differences, vintage and retro items can still be used together in harmony, as they are often designed to look vintage. For example, a retro alarm clock placed on an antique nightstand or an antique painting hung above a curvy retro sofa in a bold blue hue can create a vintage-inspired atmosphere.
What is modern retro interior design?
Retro interior design is an eclectic blend of old styles and new forms, often incorporating elements from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. This style embraces a variety of contrasting design features, colors, shapes, and forms. The color palette can range from brights to muted neutrals, with motifs influenced by art deco, nouveau, oversized, and psychedelic. To achieve a retro interior, think outside the box and incorporate elements like bean bags, hanging pod chairs, day loungers, and oversized footstools.
Other elements can include wallpaper, rubber, neon lights, texture, shagpile, cork, carpet, timber, felt, wool, pattern, faux leather, and glass. By taking risks and breaking rules, retro interior design can be a unique and captivating aesthetic.
Is mid-century modern retro?
Mid century and retro furnishings are often confused due to their similarities. Mid century design, produced from the 1940s to 1970s, features soft curves, modern shapes, and minimalist materials, evokes nostalgia for a time gone by. It typically includes furniture like armchairs, sofas, and dining tables made from wood or metal frames with bold geometric prints or solid hues. Retro, on the other hand, incorporates elements of mid-century design but also bright colors and eclectic patterns, giving it a funky vibe.
Mid-century modern style design, originating in the 1950s, is a bold and minimal interior design trend that draws inspiration from iconic mid-20th-century designs. Its blend of clean lines, natural materials, and sleek silhouettes defines mid-century modern interiors with their simplicity yet sophisticated aesthetic.
📹 Interior Design: Retro and Vintage styles
One major point not mentioned here.. The reason its timeless is because of the fact that most mid-century homes had white walls. Wood accents, wood panels on walls or ceilings. with large windows to allow bright light and any actual walls were usually white with colorful art to create the environment.. When the late 70’s rolled around all the way up to early 2000’s .People were painting walls beige, brown, blue, red, yellow etc etc.. Its why you can go in to a house that was built in 1995 and feel like its SOOO dated.. but you can go in to a house built in 1965 and its MCM with white walls and it feels like modern styling.
Vivian, you are a top-notch presenter! You speak so concisely and intelligently on a wide variety of house decor topics. You don’t fill your articles with fluff. You give a straightforward explanation and clearly respect the viewer’s time. I am always glad I watched your tutorials. Thank you for bringing such practical, well thought out, & useful content! Bravo!!!
This was a visual treat for me!! Late boomer here, ‘59. I own an MCM home in North Texas and have been collecting MCM furnishings a little here and a little there. Some are really only MCM-flavored but I love them anyway. For example, I bought an MCM laminate topped, double decker coffee table at an antique store for pretty cheap and loved it but my grands loved climbing on it and destroyed the laminate. So my carpenter son-in-law opted to make it into a designer wood table and used the elements of the original, but used different types of woods-sepele, beech, walnut, and white oak, to replace the laminate then replaced the tapered legs with hairpins (now the grands can climb all day) and bada bing-it’s gorgeous! I also found a “Retro Tubular Telephone Lift Desk w/Chair Vintage Lu Van Inc MCM Gossip Seat” (that was the way it was listed on social media, LOL!), but the seat was in pretty bad shape, so I modpodged a vintage map of the US onto the seat and back and it has been very popular with my visitors over the years! I agree with what you said about not making every single piece in the house midmod but select pieces here and there! But the wood wall of one of your shots has totally inspired me and I want to try and replicate that on one of my walls of glass!!! This house has 5 sliding glass doors that each span almost the entire wall (3 in just one room!!) and since this wall really is mostly glass it wont be all that hard to incorporate the wood furring strips like in that pic at 6:32!
I’ve been thinking mid century modern also have been looking for mid century modern homes as I am in the market. Woke up this morning sitting with my coffee and turned on YouTube and Wala there you are with mid century modern, I think this is a very strong sign!Very well done article, thank you again for the push and the inspiration. Namaste
Excellent. I am a child f the 50”s and have much of this furniture. The house’s walls used to be painted brown and orange. Much of the furniture was also blonde. The furniture is quite wonderful. I enjoy looking at it and thinking of all the wonderful times we had back then. Life was simpler because we weren’t on our devices 24/7. I truly miss the blonde step tables I sold at a garage sale. You nailed it with this article.
My whole house is 90% mid century. I’m of the opinion that just one or two ‘accent’ pieces isn’t enough. The more the merrier !! ❤️ Looking into buying an original dining table & chairs from the 60’s. Will have to travel 4hrs there & 4hrs back, but you gotta be prepared to go the extra mile & have unlimited patience for (wishing I had unlimited funds also !! ) original pieces. Vintage over retro any day ! (That’s original over modern copies for anyone that’s interested ) : D
Can you do a article on starting over changing or getting style while using the same items and other clever tips to tie the style together? I am eclectic boho and new traditional mid century art deco.. lol I love calming warm neutral bases with pops of nature and color and glam..lol My style has changed a lot now that I’m growing up. Lol I’m not at the age where what makes me feel good, is a good thing bcus in my space only my opinion matters. I know I asked for a lot and I was kind of all over the place but, if you get what I’m asking plz do a article? Thank you.
The speaker mentioned removing window treatments as a possible way to incorporate MCM into a look. HOWEVER, although that is part of the look, many people back in the mid-century did actually have curtains and drapes. It is very possible to have curtains and drapes and still have the look. In the home that I grew up in, we had a lot of solid-color unadorned straight-line window treatment (no tassles, no valances, and definitely no patterns). Many of the drapes and curtains were sheer, as well, and let in a lot of light.
Thank you for the detailed break down! I thought I liked Scandi style but after I watched your articles I see that it was actually mid-century modern that I was visioning and it’s quite different. I also really appreciate how you listed different stores for different budgets! Great! Looking forward to browsing the Amazon list 😊
I remember mid century style 1st time round. While the mustard yellow, avocado green combo was popular, a few years later people went the other way & got rid of those colour schemes. Just be careful what colours you use as you don’t want to feel stressed out by a colour combination that constricts your way of living
Best articles out there on design! I’d suggest mentioning the Amazon list created towards the end because I almost forgot to look. I love that she helps pick out even the smaller pieces that work for any budget and are beautiful- saves me so much time shopping for something as simple as pillows and I appreciate the extra effort so much!
Great article, but were most of the examples shown were our modern day version of mid-century? Different from vintage mid-century, hairpin legs were also for outdoor use mostly from what I see and not indoor use right? Also buying genuine mid-century furniture is usually the best way to go for me. Great tip for searching thrift shops. Still awesome info though! Very helpful article.
I just bought two Eames counter chairs for my remodeled kitchen. My whole home is mid century. For original pieces I have found them on EBay, vintage stores, Craigslist and here in Southern California vintage swap meets are a must. Rose Bowl being the biggest but due to COVID they are closed until further notice. You can get some nice pieces that are not too expensive from Heywood Wakefield and Paul McCobb. I would not recommend designing a whole room using for example all Heywood Wakefield. Best to mix and match. IKEA has really good lighting pieces at a good price point. Home Goods is a great store to find cool new pottery. Finding original pottery like from Bauer can be bought at the the swap meet. Bring cash and a cart or a wagon. For furniture I like Crate & Barrel, Room & Board, Design Within Reach and Wayfair. IKEA furniture.tends to breakdown over time. Wayfair is great for hardware pieces.
Great presentation! I’m moving into an apartment that has mid century modern fixtures already, so I want to incorporate the style, but without turning it into a 50s grandpa apartment. It’s never been my style, but I do appreciate some pieces. I’ll be buying some new pieces, but I want to keep it fresh and modern.
Estate sales are also a great place to find mid century modern pieces. I found a MCM teak console at Habitat for Humanity Re Store. $35. There’s a water mark on the top but it’s an excellent spot for a plant….just don’t over water. Many pieces were in a home for sixty years and failing eyesight can cause overwatering of plants. Also those crazy people in the sixties that covered their upholstery with plastic allow us to enjoy pristine original fabrics. Crazy.
Thank you so much! Absent of the Eames chair, I knew none of the names of a lot of these furnishings that I wanted for my mid-century home as well as the color schemes. As with the latter, I feel a good knowing I was somewhat on the right tract. Now that I know, I can be better on my way! Thanks a million!
Its odd how i am a fan of old houses. Oldest home i believe i was in was a actual 1638 log home. You can smell the history of that home! Nevertheless, i am a fan of MCM! I own a Eames chair that was purhased in the 60’s by my GF’s father. The boomerang mosaic coffee table too! Now totally littered with papers, laptops, ipad and cell phones due to working remotely it is from late 50’s early sixties. She has the original recipe somewhere too.. a custom one of a kind. I enjoyed perusal your article it made me (her) feel lucky to own such great MCM pieces.
What style is it when every room tries to imitate a different world setting? Example: Basement hallway looks like a volcano interior, kitchen looks like the Himalayas, living room looks like Montana, dining room looks like the Australian outback, one bedroom is a cemetery on Halloween, another looks like the bottom of Lake Michigan, bathroom looks like a cave that a caveman would’ve dwelled in, game room looks like a ruined Dutch town during Operation Market Garden, second bathroom looks like the Sahara, attic looks like the surface of the moon, office / study room looks like a commercial office on Wall Street, bar room in basement looks like a New Orleans dive bar. What would that be called? Schizo-Chic?
Some of these colors are making a real come back, the ocher, the emerald greens-they’re going to be big. I’m looking for a dining room table but I can’t find anything I love, I’m willing to spend $3-$5,000 but I want to see it first!! Everything is online!! I’d had to spend that much for a table and not like the wood. Does anybody know any good stores in NYC??
I find modern (2010s – 2020s) Mid Century too cold and sterile. I seems very mono chromatic. I prefer it when many warm bright colors are used with wood, stone, brass and bark cloth like the looks of many 1960s James Bond or Doris Day movie sets. They had warmth and whimsy! I even like pop-corn clings! Also did you know they used to have gold glittered popcorn ceilings??? The new Mid Century Modern revival seems like the soul was stripped out. I like many many historical styles throughout out history. It is important to use the original source material when designing. Some modern influences in to your historical design will strip away what made them classical in the first place.
I feel like this is just the mid century that people like in 2020, not the whole look. Mid century had lots of wall to wall carpet, colored appliances and bathroom fixtures, sunken living rooms, crazy colors ect. The 2020 mid century almost always has wood floors, white walls, and fairly neural color scheme with lots of textures. I think it lacks the pizzazz of true mid century, when people weren’t afraid to buy a pink refrigerator or have more color than a ‘pop’ of it. Would have liked to have seen more original photos and less modern designs take on it.