Mid Century Vibe

Mid Century Modern Furniture is very popular in the design world and if it is original it can sell for a lot of money. The furniture of the mid-century era from 1945 to 1969 is recognizable by clean lines and function was equally as important as form. Pre-war traditionalism was full of embellishments and furniture with carved designs but mid-century modern was the birth of less is more. The way a piece of furniture was designed made a statement as well as the material used to design it. Many things emerged from this era that is still recognizable today. Let’s take a peek into a space that pays homage to a movement that greatly impacted society and design. This dining room and kitchen nook of a Begonia Model demonstrates how mid-century modern furniture and its concepts revived these spaces and now they thrive somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Remove the column
The homeowner was having tile installed. If you own a model like the Gardenia or the Begonia with a column in the dining room, the time to consider removing the column is before you change flooring. The homeowners decided to remove the column and the space opened up considerably. The mid-century modern movement was innovative with its open floor concepts that are similar to our open floor concepts of today.

• Move the buffet
The homeowners were using the buffet bar in the living room as a TV console. It looked good but I wanted to see it back with its table. The set belonged to the homeowner’s parents and is a stunning testament to good furniture with good lines. If you own good mid-century modern furniture but don’t see it as valuable, think again. It is timeless and valuable. It can always look fresh with the proper placement in the home.

• Large Rug
Without the column the dining room looks so big that it needed a rug. We purchased an 8’x11’ rug in abstract colors that tied into the real leather cushions on the chairs. The rug filled the space with texture and warmth that related to the living room and helped pull the entire space together.

• Art
The art above the buffet was an original by the homeowner’s favorite artist. The homeowners hung the picture with four lighted sconces to fill the space above the buffet. The candles are electric candles that turn on with a remote control.

• Large arch mirror
This mirror is 48” wide by 72” high and adds so much light to the space. Mid-century modern design was full of light and windows. This mirror, though more classic in design, does provide the illusion of light and I love mixing styles. In the Begonia model we hang one of the mirrors in the dining room and one of the mirrors in the eat-in kitchen so they can reflect one another. This provides the illusion of two new windows in the space.

• Chandelier
The homeowners wanted a new chandelier and we chose the orb shape chandelier in a black tone to tie into the mirror and the wall sconces. The orb chandelier is a classic design as well and it works perfectly with the arched mirror. The homeowners liked the orb so much they purchased a smaller version for the eat-in kitchen.

• Banquette seating
Banquette seating is so functional and comfortable! A banquette allows you to use the walls of the eat-in kitchen to line with seating. When you line the walls with seating you only need room on one side of the table to pull out chairs. The footprint of the table and chair function is smaller and more functional. The banquette in the picture is moveable. The three benches kiss but are not connected so that moving them is very easy. If you need more comfortable seating in the living room for a Super bowl party, carry out the benches and seat your guest in comfort and style. The homeowners have room to set two freestanding chairs in the eat-in kitchen for more seating in the space. Finally, the custom fabric the homeowners chose is a performance fabric and very cleanable.

• Reflecting
The mirrors and the orbs matching each other offer a nice balance to the dining room and eat-in spaces while visually connecting them. I like the use of black in the space. Black is both neutral and dramatic!

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.ruthdyer.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com or Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below