I have just recently gained an appreciation for MCM furnishings, mainly well-crafted wood pieced with clean lines. Luckily I didn't get rid of the Jens Rison coffee table my in-laws gave us when it wasn't my taste.
However, I am not a MCM purist. While nice to look at, homes/rooms that are all MCM don't seem like "me", nor do I think they would suit my midwestern newly constructed home.
Do you think it's possible to incorporate MCM furnishings with more traditional furnishings for a more eclectic look in a newer home that is lacking in character? This is the look I am currently going for. Plus, I cannot afford to replace some of my more traditional furnishings. Any pics/examples out there you can think of?
Good design looks good in any environment
Ever see that photo Charles Eames took his 670/671 Lounge Chair and ottoman in a Victorian setting?
You can have a houseful of 'contemporary' furniture from your local discount furniture store and have a good designer pieces right in the middle of it.
Similarly, you can put an Egg chair or Womb chair in a Victorian living room too.
Whatever you like goes good together, despite what the 'professional decorators' might tell me to the contrary.
eclectic MCM mix
I hunted around and have seen the style I have been trying to achieve in a few photos on Flickr. Seeing it done gives me a better sense of how to execute it in my home.
In my original post I was also commenting on the way in which some MCM interiors "scream 1950's" which is not a look I find appealing for my own home.
This brings me to another point, are there some instances where good design MCM or not is "pretty but not practical"?
For example we used to have a very low profile sofa - nice lines well and made, it was from Marshall Fields a long time ago. However every time someone a little older sat in it they seemed to struggle getting out because it was so low. I always felt bad when they did.
Perhaps the scale of some "modern" furniture is not that friendly to the end-user after all?
Get some back issues of decorating magazines
like Better Homes and Gardens from the 50s/60s/70s and you'll notice that at the time, they indeed mixed MCM with older more traditional styles.
Not that I particularly liked it, but it's what was common at the time.
My opinion is that you should decorate however suits your taste.
fwiw
KWID
I know I've said this before on this forum, but Kelly Wearstler (the LA designer) does a fabulous job of combining Hollywood Regency, Mid-Century Modern, the French Louis' and Faux Bamboo. Go to a big bookstore and look for her design books in the Home Decor section. You will soon be salivating, promise!
Dori, one idea, color will always maneuver across eras. If you have a brown or beige sofa in a traditional style, try pairing it with black or white or chrome or lucite tables, lamps, bar cart, etc. and perch it all on top of a white flokati rug. Bring those together with teak or tortoiseshell or mother-of-pearl or white bisque porcelain accent vases, candlesticks, etc. Pick a high-contrast color for artwork and pillows and, pop!, you've got the beginnings of a great room.
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