What is Mid-Century Modern Design and How to Spot Mid-Century Modern Facades

What Defines Mid-Century Modern Design?

How To Spot Mid-Century Modern Design

• Colours
  Despite the early palettes of Mid-Century Design featuring a range of pastels, in the middle and later periods of the movement, earthy tones such as oak, olive green, mustard yellow, khaki, and burnt oranges dominated the palette, especially when contrasted with bold, glossy vinyl colours for accenting.
• Materials
  Most iconically, timber features heavily in most MCM designs, especially in facades. Woods you can expect to see used globally in MCM designs include walnut, rosewood and oak. Due to our precautionary biosecurity laws in Australia, you can expect to see a slightly different lineup featuring Tasmanian oak, western red cedar, spotted gum and blackbutt. Concrete and breezeblocks can create a beautiful mid-century facade, as their flatness perfectly complements mid-century design principles. Lastly, if you have the budget, well-chiselled stone can make a perfect glossy effect that plays with the lighting of the hour.
• Design Elements
  Purpose-driven design is debatably the core principle to capturing the essence of mid-century design. In a facade, this generally looks like a flat roof that doesn’t incorporate superfluous angling, which makes construction more difficult than it needs to be. Crisp geometry is also a major player in the design movement; think horizontal planes on a facade. Lastly, the organic nature of the building makes it play with its surroundings rather than against them. Think of features like interior courtyards that blur the line between indoor and outdoor living, or the era’s iconic open-plan layouts. Both are hallmarks of Mid-Century design that still influence contemporary builds today.

Mid-Century Facade Checklist

How to Spot and Find a Mid-Century Facade for Your Home