5 ways to create a mid-century modern style bedroom

If you’ve read our guide to mid-century modern living rooms you’ll know how much we love this timeless style. MCM is ideal for bedrooms - its functional, less-is-more approach makes for a really calming space that looks effortlessly cool. This trend has had a real resurgence in home interiors for the past couple of years and isn’t slowing down any time soon. With that in mind, here’s our 5 key pointers for creating a mid-century modern style bedroom. Sweet dreams.

Light the room

Mid-century modern bedrooms are characterised by a calming atmosphere. This can easily be created with clever choices of diffused, warm-toned lighting. Look for bedside lamps, wall sconces and floor lamps made with brushed metals, frosted glass or copper-coloured brass.

Dress it up

Teak and ash are synonymous with a mid-century modern look. Look for these materials when picking out a dressing table or chest of drawers, and try to find solid wood. If you’re a keen thrifter, flea markets and vintage furniture stores can be great places to source unique mid-century furniture pieces.

Make it functional

Perfect for the smaller houses and apartments of modern times, this style is all about practicality. Keep the bedroom uncluttered, but don’t compromise on design. We’re big fans of storage solutions that blend in with the style of the rest of the room, like these storage ottomans. To maintain that mid-century modern vibe, go for velvet or faux leather fabrics.

Add metal elements

As with other mid-century style rooms, contrasts in texture are important to keep the room visually interesting. Introduce metal elements that stand out against softer textures of leather, wood and velvet. Bedside lamps, feature light fixtures, chairs and magazine racks are all good options for nailing this part of the mid-century look.

Create calm

Probably the most important element of a mid-century modern bedroom is the bed. As the biggest piece of furniture in the room, this will have the most influence over how much you achieve the look you’re going for. For beds, choose simple shapes. Curved headboards upholstered in velvet fabrics bring that element of comfort, and tapered solid wood legs help to further solidify that instantly recognisable mid-century modern look.

What is mid-century modern style bedroom design?

As with other rooms in the house, a mid-century modern style bedroom can be defined by how stylised it is, whilst still being functional. Mid-century modern bedrooms are often characterised by the type of furniture within them. This can include teak wood dressers, dark ash bedside tables and practical, tidy storage solutions. Most furniture is dark in colour and often features natural textures such as wood, rattan and leather.

What is mid-century style furniture?

Mid-century style furniture boomed in popularity in the 1900s, after WWII. This style of furniture had the ethos of being functional, whilst also aesthetically pleasing. Mid-century style furniture was characterised by simplicity, minimal ornamentation, geometric or organic shapes and contrasting natural textures. More often than not, mid-century style furniture can be recognised by its use of solid materials - dark ash, elm, teak, glass and metal.

What makes a bed mid-century style?