Is Mid-Century Modern on Its Way Out?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
It seems like I’ve run across titles such as that when looking at design blogs and sites. What’s on its way “in”? We are in our 30s and decorating our first home and I don’t want to buy things that will look dated in 5 years.
|
Anonymous
| Designing your whole home in MCM might be on its way out, but modern furniture will never be out of style. Buy what you like. |
Anonymous
|
Buy things you like.
First of all, MCM will never be “out”. I think certain things will stay that makes sense, like clean lines and unfussy details. Uncomfortable cheap knock off sofas though will probably go away. What is the style of your house? I always think it’s weird when somebody puts a modern front door on a colonial for example. Look on Pinterest, houzz, and other home design blogs like apartment therapy and style by Emily Henderson to get an idea of what you like. |
Anonymous
|
The best way to not make your house look “dated” is to start with the house itself. What does it look like? What is the architectural style? You certainly don’t need to “match” that or make it a period home but if your house IS a mid-century modern house, that style will continue to look at home there.
Imo the most “timeless” style is Rich People Vaguely English Country which is “timeless” mostly because a lot of those English houses stay the same for many decades and because rich Americans never tire of imitating them. So it’s more about staying power than “timelessness.” And because to do it well, you’re going to have antiques and such from several periods and so things are “dated” to many periods and you have a nice mix. Whether the Chippendale is from Great-grandmother or last week at Christie’s. Southerners do the more fun version of this but I think Connecticut has the best ones. I highly recommend NOT looking at design blogs and sites. They’re often terrible. People make fun of the haughty magazine editor stereotype but those betches were saving us from ourselves. So look at magazines, old magazines. |
Anonymous
|
But what YOU like, not what is trendy. 10 years ago I decorated my home in what is now called “grandmillennial” style. It wasn’t trendy then, it was just a lot of classic furniture for a young person. But I got great furniture off Craigslist.
Now I get to be trendy. |
Anonymous
| Yes, you should buy what you like, but lots of people like some very ugly things. Lots of people also buy things that don't go together at all, so their house has an unsettling energy as soon as you walk in. There's a reason designers exist. |
Anonymous
How is this post helpful? Why did you write this? |
Anonymous
|
Was it in style? It’s been around forever. If you have a house that fits this style, it’s always fine.
This board and the constant conversations about what will be dated are kind of weird to me. |
Anonymous
This is the best advice. If you decorate to match your house's style, it will be timeless. The problem with trends is that when you're in the moment it's very hard to see trends for what they are .... because they do look appealing and fresh. This is what I try to remind myself with things like encaustic tile. I actually love it but if I think back ten years ago, I know that I would have been horrified if I saw it. This tells me that at some point that boldly patterned tile will be "out" again. All of that being said, there are ways to enjoy trends ... just don't incorporate them into your more permanent fixtures unless you are open to re-doing them again at some point. You can bring in a lot of the trends with accessories/styling/curtains/pillows etc, things that are a lot easier to swap out than flooring or backsplashes. |
Anonymous
|
I like MCM because it reminds me of my grandparents, and oddly enough visiting my mom at work (government issue furniture). I also like furniture that is on legs because we have a smaller space, it opens it up a both visually.
The trick with anything is to blend styles just a bit. Use what you love and not what’s on trend. So if you like MCM, mix in a few pieces but vary the theme. Like a retro wallpaper with lots of period art might look intense, or amazing….or rockabilly. |
Anonymous
|
Who cares what's in or out? Get what you like. Unless you're gunning for a spread in Arch Digest or Southern Living.
When it's time to sell, you'll stage anyway. |
Anonymous
It has not been around forever. The hint is in the name. |
Anonymous
I’m the pp and IT WILL NOT BE TIMELESS. WHAT IS THE OBSESSION ON THIS BOARD WITH THE MISUSE OF THE WORDS “TIMELESS” and “FOREVER” just use a different word that makes sense there are so many omfg |
Anonymous
Forever means your grandparents bought it when they were young or great grandparents for today's young people just starting out. We still buy designs that were new in 1850, so its a safe bet to say that people will be buying things that were designed in 1950 in 2050, thats pretty timeless. Upholsered furniture designs usually only truly last for 200 years or so and then they become uncomfortable. Plain wooden furniture designs have a better chance of being actually timesless- as in you can buys them 400 years after etc.. its why its relatively simple toby antique chinese furniture, most of it had removable upholstery. Going back to the OP's question- go through images and find ones that speak you and then try to figure out what it is that you want to replicate and go from there. Right now there is a backlash to matched interiors and people are going back to a layered look, that is also b/c there are a whole hell pf a lot of millennials and we are pretty old now and have accumulated a lot of stuff and have heirlooms and stuff that we have to stick somewhere.All of the major designers right now are at this stage in life, people's parents are dieting or downsizing, so this drives images that we are inundated with. Another thing to keep in mind is the anxiety around climate change and consumption so there is more of a waste not mentality. Images that we keep seeing have also taken the monochrome, minimalist thing to the extreme- aka Kanye west's weird a$$ monastery house. You should buy what touches a chord with you and buy expensive pieces slowly, otherwise you'll be 40 with a houseful of expensicethings you don't want to give up but that dont' harmonize with each other either. |
Anonymous
|
I have specific style preferences but can acknowledge that most styles can be either well done or poorly done. I don’t love French country but have seen some very nice French country rooms that are not trendy.
A good way to understand what will feel trendy in 5 years is to learn about the understanding fundamental interior decor styles. |