Arts

Iconic Accessories for Modern Mid-Century Homes

The current trend in home furnishings is mid-century modern. Clean lines and simple designs are becoming fashionable once again. Vintage and antique furniture shops are seeing pieces of this style fly off their shelves and showroom floors. People are once again seeking designs that are not ornate and heavy, preferring a light and simple touch in their décor choices. A large part of these home furnishing designs are the colorful accessories of this fashion era. Pottery producers worldwide contributed to this style with simple accent pieces that featured bright colors. Baldelli Pottery in Italy is one of the more popular styles from this period.

Color as a focal point to a room is not a new idea in decorating homes. In styles that preceded mid-century modern, the colors were on the walls and sometimes the floors. The furniture and accessories drew the eye with ornate designs carved into the wood of the furniture. The main difference with mid-century modern is the simplicity of both the room design and the accessories. Gone are the ornate embellishments and intricately fashioned furniture and accessories. Simple lines with vibrant colors have overtaken the embellishments for a place to rest the eyes of observers.

People are now returning to the clean lines and open floor plans of the past. Newer homes are being built in this classic style. Older homes are being remodeled and arranged to accommodate the look of openness and access to the outdoors. Walls and floors are being changed to neutral tones and simple, yet effective, accessories are now used to add vibrant color to rooms. Original art deco accessories are an important style for these types of homes. They have the color, clean lines and simplicity to accent the mid-century modern style of furniture and architecture.

Decorating with mid-century modern accessories is not always easy. Ceramics were one of the popular items used to add vibrant colors with simple lines. These pieces varied in size and form, but simplicity and color tied them together to fit into the mid-century architectural style. While they are not out of reach of everyone, vintage and antique accessories can be expensive. Modern artisans can recreate these simple styles by using modern colors with ceramic transfers or ceramic decals. Reproductions of art deco works and designs complement the clean lines and simplicity of this style.