The Best Mid-Century Modern Interior Design Style in Singapore 2024

The mid century modern interior design style of interior design is from the middle of the 1900s, specifically from the 1940s to the 1960s. The way people live, their society, and their beliefs can be seen in the things they wear or the things they put in their homes. In the middle of the 1900s, design had a bit of a minimalist feel to it, with clean lines, ornamentation, and organic forms. Inside, the mid-century modern style has a new look with a retro feel. It's classic and still in style because of how well it looks, works, and is comfortable. Modernist interiors of the mid-20th century use sliding doors, patios, skylights, and other features to make the inside and outside of the room move together. 

As Cities grew after the end of the Second World War, people started looking for modern furniture to fit their brand-new homes. Later, improvements in technology made it possible to make new materials that gave creators more options for shapes, textures, and colours.

We have seen several Singapore homeowners search for mid century modern interior design ideas. This includes the style's background, most recognizable traits, and level of popularity. These homeowners also talked about how to use MCM pieces to decorate their homes and what to keep in mind when they’re looking for HDB renovators or HDB interior designers in Singapore.

Why Should You Choose Mid Century Modern Interior Design Styles?

In her 1984 collection, Cara Greenberg was the first person to use the phrase "mid-century modern design." It refers to the style of design that was popular from the 1940s to the 1960s and pushed design to new heights.

A lot of important events in history, like the loss of huge areas of land and the departure of famous designers from Europe to America after the Second World War, helped fuel this movement. After World War II, Germany didn't have many good options for interior designers, so many of them left for America, the land of dreams. It was in America that the need for new homes and new setups led to the creation of modern, contemporary, and minimalist furniture for the many new homes being built in cities to house the people who had left.

At this point, the Industrial Revolution had reached its peak, and new discoveries and developments in this area had made it possible to make and use a wide range of materials, colours, textures, and designs that could now be used to make decorative furniture with a modern look in large quantities. It's important to note that the mid-century modern interior design style doesn't just mean furniture or buildings; it also includes materials and items that were popular at the time.

Mid-century modern design is based on functionality, clean lines, and simplicity, which is a reflection of the world at that time. Homes were more linear, focused on maintaining a nuclear family unit and as such, the furniture design echoed this sentiment. Mid modern century interior design furniture is much simpler than furniture with lots of frills or fancy details.

The need and desire for simple, useful furniture and decor in our homes were reactions against the fancy traditions of the past few decades and a way for families to adopt a more modern, natural way of life.

Best Interior Design Ideas for Mid-Century Modern Design in 2024

the eden bedroom

Explore Periods and Colours

Mid-century modern living rooms don't always use neutral colour schemes, even though it's easy to think that way. In fact, this style loves it when art, pillows, blanket throws, and furniture have pops of colour. However, make sure the inside is balanced, or it might look too busy.

Colours were also a big part of the midcentury style, and it was used in ways we had never seen before. It was often used as a bold accent or to make a piece of furniture stand out in a room by itself.

 A mid-century modern interior look works best when there is a nice mix of different time periods and colours. It's also important to mix colours and textures. Think of walnut woods that have a beautiful sheen and are paired with deep jewel tones like royal blue or emerald green. The goal is to keep your eye moving from one interesting piece to the next while making the whole room feel like it belongs together.

 You should be brave enough to try new things, whether it's using only black and white colours or bright neon colours that make the room feel happy and lively. Just make sure you don't use too many of them all over the room.

Wood, metal, vinyl, glass, and plywood are some of the things that are used in mid-century modern home interior design. The style of the 1950s and 1960s is all about big forms, patterns, and rough surfaces. The colours can range from beige to gold or striking, like black and white.

You can picture a living room from the mid-20th century with dark colours like orange or rust. In some places, brighter colours like sunny yellow, turquoise, and other primary colours can be used. Designers make sure that no room is too bright, and they use basic colours to balance out the bright ones.

For other living room designs, you can check out this article.

Mount Sophia (Sophia Hills), Condominium

Elevate the style with classic furniture

In a mid-century modern room, the furniture is generally simple and has straight lines. It also focuses on usefulness in a room that is open and not cluttered. A mid-century modern style is based on putting together organic forms and straight lines. For example, a changing table with thin legs.

Wood is the perfect material for the Mid-century modern interior design style that is all about making things look simple, clean, useful, and luxurious. Mid-century modern style is interesting because it doesn't say that your furniture has to match. It's important to have clean lines, bold fabrics, and graphic patterns. If there are sofas or lounge chairs, they need to have patterned pillows to match the style. 

A dining table is one piece of furniture that can bring the feel of the 1990s into a 20th-century dining room. Probably the best thing about mid-century modern furniture is that it's not just made of wood. Designers also use modern materials like plastic, glass, and others. When it comes to upholstery, designers like old styles with fun geometric shapes, stripes, and fabrics like soft wool.

In a mid-century modern living room, furniture with bent legs makes the room look more interesting. Mid-century modern furniture has low seating, lounges that let you curl up, shell chairs made of plastic, and desks with plain surfaces that have holes in them that give them personality. Function is at the heart of the MCM movement, so if you buy beautiful old MCM chairs, for example, make sure they can handle being used every day.

Blk 308C Punggol Waterway 5 Rm HDB Dining Area

Add a vintage piece

It can be overwhelming and scary to try to copy the whole Mid-Century Modern Style at once because the real stuff can be very expensive and hard to find these days. There are many designers who are still making or bringing back this style, but the price will make the whole thing seem ridiculous.

Then, it's important to understand the subtleties and mood of that time and use that in your decor in a way that fits with its vibe. Because of this, even though famous pieces from that time are always being brought back and copied, we can still find a few that fit our tastes and our budget.

As long as you can find one unique older piece, you can base the room's theme on that instead of buying the whole set. But be careful not to have too many colour or pattern clashes and stay true to the main theme.

157 Yung Loh Road 4 Room HDB Resale

Blend Mid-Century Modern with other interior styles

Modern mid-century interior design use soft colours to show off the natural beauty of materials and textures, without using loud or bright colours that would take away from the look. The earthy tones in this colour scheme, like beige, brown, and grey, come from nature. These colours were picked because they make people feel calm and grounded. When put together, they create a feeling of balance and harmony. ‍

This design concept also encourages the use of objects and storage solutions that can be used for more than one thing. This helps keep spaces clean and organized.

When using wabi-sabi, choose colours and tones that are more earthy instead of bright and lively. Beige, cream, brown, and soft greens are good colours to use to give your home a more natural and earthy feel. You can use styles and backgrounds on the wall that make you feel like you're outside.

Other interior designs that you can blend with mid-century modern interior designs include contemporary interior design and eclectic interior design.

If you need expert help on more Mid-Century Modern Interior design ideas, see our renovation service in Singapore.

Blk 2 Sinaran Drive, 3 Bedder Condo

Incorporate Lighting Ideas 

For the most part, mid-century modern homes don't have mounted wall lights or the more current down-lighters. Wall lights hang in the living room instead. Also, most designers like to use a variety of lamps, such as table lamps and floor lamps, that are made in a way that fits the home's style. During the day, the designer lets natural light into the house, making the inside and outside look amazing together. With lighting, you can make a mid-century modern room feel warm and inviting. Pick lighting fixtures that have sleek, modern forms. After that, mix general lighting with special lighting to make the room look good.

Designers often use creative mirror frames or hanging light shades to stay in line with the style's main idea of being bold and creative. These make your home look more creative and classic at the same time.

To let fresh air come in without heavy drapes getting in the way, the windows should be kept big and open. If you can, add a touch of green inside to make the design stand out. Choose light wood and cotton fabrics to keep the atmosphere light and airy.

607 edgefield plains dining area

Create A Personalized Interior Decor

Mid-century modern furniture is beautiful because it puts usefulness over form. Often with an eye-catching look as a result. Getting pieces that can be used for more than one thing can help your home look more put together. For example, bookcases can be used for both showing off things and storing things. They can even fold up a desk for you.  Asymmetrical shapes and patterns are a big part of the mid-century modern style of home design. Adding these things to your design can also make it more interesting to look at and give it a retro feel.

Blk 2 Sinaran Drive, 3 Bedder Condominium

Adding an open space to your mid-century modern design can help it look clean and uncluttered. Also, keeping the room simple can help the beauty of individual pieces stand out. Adding both old and new items to a mid-century modern design is a great way to make it look unique. Putting old and new together can also give a room more depth and interest.

Conclusion

Ultimately, your home should reflect your personal style and functional needs. From contemporary interior design HDB, 5-room HDB designs to cozy condo design in Singapore, we provide a wealth of resources to assist you. As a leading interior design company in Singapore, Swiss Interior is dedicated to helping you craft a home that’s uniquely yours. At Swiss Interior, our interior designers are here to help you every step of the way in crafting a home that’s uniquely yours.

About Swiss Interior

Swiss Interior Team

Swiss Interior is a leading interior design company in Singapore since 2012. Led by founders Jason and Ronnie, the Swiss team serves customers from all walks of life, delivering bespoke and dream interior design and renovation services to all homeowners in Singapore.

Accreditations & Awards:

  • Singapore outstanding enterprise award (2013)
  • HomeRenoGuru Most Trusted ID (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
  • First ID firm to win 1 Week Kitchen Challenge by HomeRenoGuru (2019)
  • Featured in NOC RenoKing (2020)
  • HomeRenoGuru Top 10 ID Firm (2020, 2021)
  • Featured in CNA Lifestyle Making Room (2021)
  • Qanvast SuperTrust (2021, 2022)
  • Featured in HomeStyle Magazine Year End Cover Page (2021)
  • Featured in Sheikh Haikel & Anna Belle Francis DreamHome (2022)
  • Sidac Accreditation (2022)