Guide to Mid-Century American Homes, 1930 to 1965

Table Of Content

• Defining characteristics and elements of midcentury-modern architecture
• Plan: #208-1025
• Top interiors stories
• Featured posts
• Unified Theme of Light and Space
• Modify Plan # 2559-00171
• Mid-Century Modern Houses With Tips To Design And Decorate Yours
• The Mid-Century Modern House Style: An Icon of Function and Simplicity

A paramount change was the removal of a wall in the kitchen, which opened up to the scenic Puget Sound, fostering a seamless flow between the interior spaces and the natural exterior. Pieces by mid-century modern designers such as Ray and Charles Eames, whose lounge chair sits next to a floor-to-ceiling window, and Isamu Noguchi decorate this Los Angeles loft that was designed to nod to Japanese minimalism. Visionary inventor and philosopher Buckminster Fuller conceived the geodesic dome as a housing solution for a struggling planet. Other architects and designers built upon Fuller's ideas to create a variety of dome-shaped dwellings.

Defining characteristics and elements of midcentury-modern architecture

A Mid-Century Modern Home in California With Ties to Frank Lloyd Wright Lists for $7 Million - Yahoo Canada Shine On

A Mid-Century Modern Home in California With Ties to Frank Lloyd Wright Lists for $7 Million.

Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

You will find for example cooking islands, open spaces and sometimes pantry and sheltered decks. The exterior look, in some cases, will remind you of the atomic ranch house plans, also popular in those years with their modern roof lines, abundant fenestration and external coverings of wood and stone. Mid-century modern homes combine popular elements from the 1950s with elements from today. Most mid-century modern homes feature floor-to-ceiling windows and large glass doors, emphasizing bringing the outdoors in and integrating with nature. Mid-century decor elements, including tin ceilings and split-level spaces, combine modern elements to create something beautiful.

Plan: #208-1025

The postwar Case Study Houses program—created and sponsored by Arts and Architecture—also resulted in many key examples of midcentury-modern houses. Pierre Koenig, Eero Saarinen, A. Quincy Jones, and the Eameses were among the modern architects who designed homes in response to it, though not all of the homes were constructed. Some have been remodeled into oblivion and some of them have been demolished, but 20 remain standing today according to Forbes.

Top interiors stories

But, although more economical than a Prairie house, Usonian homes proved to be more expensive than the average middle class family could afford. Still, they are functional houses still privately owned, lived in, and loved by their owners — and they are often on the open market for sale. They inspired a new generation of architects to take seriously modest but beautiful residential designs for the middle-class, working family.

In the sunken living room, which showcases a monumental copper fireplace alongside built-in sofas, the copious wood paneling feels a bit incongruous with the original, clean-lined design. Generous ceiling heights, a lighter color palette, and floor-to-ceiling windows, however, ensure the room feels airy and bright. The post-war ranch house was freely adapted and modified in the 1950s and early 1960s. Developers, building suppliers, and architects published pattern books with plans for one-story homes. Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style design quickly became a prototype for mid-century modernism, as seen in this Modified Ranch.

Unified Theme of Light and Space

All products featured on Vanity Fair are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Vanity Fair may earn an affiliate commission. Sent every Thursday and featuring a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. We have partnered with StartBuild to eliminatethe guesswork of estimating construction costs.

Modify Plan # 2559-00171

Lark House, originally designed in 1958 by the esteemed Seattle architect Al Bumgardner, has undergone a sophisticated transformation to cater to the lifestyle of its modern inhabitants while preserving its historical essence. In 2023, SHED Architecture & Design took on the task of infusing contemporary functionalities into this private residence, located in the heart of Seattle, WA. Liebhardt reportedly became Wright’s apprentice after being inspired by what is arguably the master architect’s most iconic residence, Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. Similar to Wright’s portfolio of homes that showcase simple yet captivating facades, Liebhardt’s design in Del Mar features extensive use of glass and a geometrically folded plate roof.

Mid-Century Modern Houses With Tips To Design And Decorate Yours

Probably the most minimalist among the midcentury-modern homes included here, the Farnsworth House was first built as a country house for Edith Farnsworth, a doctor, violinist, and architecture patron. Mid-century modern homes have open-concept floor plans with large windows and simplified lines inside and out. Rooflines can be flat, angled, or hipped, which means the homes in this category are more diverse than most. Mid-century modern homes take a minimalist approach and eschew decorative features in favor of building simple organic modern or biophilic designs with wood, stone, concrete, and glass. Connecting with nature is a key value in midcentury modern architecture, so most midcentury modern homes have multiple access points to the outdoors. In some homes, even single rooms have several doors and windows to access the outdoor living space.

The Mid-Century Modern House Style: An Icon of Function and Simplicity

A family built it in the 1960s, and then it was passed down to two siblings, a son and a daughter. The son, an architect, lived in the home for many years, and then, when he passed away, the house went to his sister, who then sold it to Phipps and Volkov. The couple plans to use the two years they have to repay their private loan to fix up the house as much as possible and then refinance to get a traditional mortgage. They are best known for their line of Case Study fiberglass chairs that are made just like the original Eames chairs were made back in the day. They also make my all time favorite Case Study V-Leg Bed, a collection of Case study storage units and desks, and an assortment of classic ceramic planters.

We also cover modernist architecture to show how it influenced mid-century as well as contemporary architecture and design. This 1950s house in the Pacific Northwest was originally built for cartoonist Irwin Caplan. Today, it is a modern home, with an interior that nonetheless respects the bones of the building.

Perhaps the ultimate example of mid-century modern design, designer couple Ray and Charles Eames' eponymous house is filled with the couple's own creations. As the name suggests, mid-century modern is the name of a style of design and architecture from the middle of the 20th century, usually seen as spanning from the mid-1940s until the late 1960s. Like the Lustron home, the Quonset hut is a prefabricated, steel structure of distinctive style. Romney huts and Iris huts were WWII modifications of a WWI British design called a Nissen hut. By the time the U.S. entered WWII, the military was building another version at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island.

Today, the abundance of floor-to-ceiling windows and use of natural materials—like wood paneling and stone fireplaces often seen in such houses—continue to resonate. Below, we’ve selected some of the best midcentury-modern homes to be featured by AD in recent years. As you’ll soon find, each one displays a fresh contemporary take on a now classic style. Across the country, other formats of mid century modern house design came to prominence, but using more winter-worthy materials like brick to construct their signature looks. A few hours north of New York City, for example, pupils of the legendary modernist architect Frank Lloyd Wright built an entire town of case study homes using mid century modern design, dubbed 'Usonia'.

The originals are mostly tucked into the hillsides of Southern California – notably Palm Springs – and you'll find everything from bungalow style homes and stilted silhouettes are dotted all along the streets of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Mid-century modern homes are classics with a timeless appeal that will likely never go out of vogue. They continue to be popular due to their minimalistic, highly functional appeal and eye-catching feature pieces. The internal layout was meticulously restructured to enhance the entry of natural light and offer expansive views of the surrounding landscape, aligning with Bumgardner’s original architectural vision.