Noob. And the Learning Curve.  

of course not!
my house is a mess of styles as well. That's what style is, putting things together that work for you, that's your style! Alot of mid century works well together (but not always of course). I also have a weak spot for some 1970's swank style (you know, CHROME) and that seems to work
don't let others insist that there is a right or wrong way. Sometimes, though, it does help to ask someone "does this work?". Sometimes you will be glad you did...

We've owned and used a *lot*...
We've owned and used a *lot* of Declaration and, although we love Danish and own some very nice pieces, it's hard to insult the Declaration line and not come off as elitist. They're very pretty, made well & with decent materials, and are much more accessible than pieces from a lot of other designers / makers.
Having said that, in our previous home we put in walnut flooring, and our family / dining room area ended up a sea of wood. The homogeny was a bit overwhelming. We've now got grey wood floors and a few pieces that are not entirely comprised of wood.
Everyone is different, but I think the key is balance. Too much of anything can get tiresome for me, regardless of how nice it is and how jealous it makes your friends. Oh that reminds me, never underestimate the pleasure which can be brought by owning a piece the elicits envy from everyone who sees it.

I have been collecting now...
I have been collecting now for several years ever since I received a few pieces of my grandparent's furnishings. I still consider myself a relative newbie also. I have a mixture of both Danish-made and American-made mid-century modern pieces. One of my favorite pieces is an American -made sideboard that I got from my grandparent's house. It is extremely well-made and fits nicely with all the Danish furniture. I have several pieces that are by American designers as several that are Danish. I have favorite pieces from both American and Danish designers.
Also, I personally wouldn't want a home done in furniture by just one designer. I think I would find that a bit boring...too monotonous. I like the spice that is added by having pieces from different designers sitting in the same room. Only the bedroom (which is not mid-century modern yet) has furniture all by the same company. I find it rather boring that all the furniture looks pretty much the same. When I re-do the bedroom, I already plan on having pieces from a handful of designers to give that needed oomph. I am, obviously, not much a fan of matched bedroom suites...boring LOL

This will come as a relative shock to some...
But I don't fancy overly modernist interiors. Not California modernist anyway. A mix is absolutely vital to a house feeling like a home. I own/have owned some very rare and collectible pieces. But some of my favorites are actually relatively unknown, meek designs of the Danish influence. However, as soon as I cite the manufacturer or designer they will almost certainly become collectible. So with my own interest firmly at the fore, I will keep them to myself. But in your search I'm sure you will find such designs yourself so that's half the fun. I find a strange sense of sacred value in anonymity.
As for education, let your interests carry you. I initially became interested in California modern. But as I processed most of that movement I began to appreciate more stark pieces and spaces and so naturally I became somewhat obsessed with the Bauhaus movement. Association is also helpful. There is a great depth of learning to be had from Corbusier to Perriand to Prouve. From there the warm allure of wood led me to Danish and Scandinavian design. Purchase or even go to your library and check out books on specific designers and movements. There's no map for this.

@lunchbox I knew you were a...
@lunchbox I knew you were a human being deep down inside.
I agree with you completely when you say "a mix is absolutely vital to a house feeling like a home".
I'm still considerably younger than most but feel like I've graduated from newb status. I dove head first into the California modern stuff and mostly collected Eames furniture at first. I'm just now getting more into the danish things and have even blended some of it with mid century American pieces and even some completely new furniture / decor.
However, at the end of the day it's always nice to collect pieces that have designer attributions because they make for great conversation with friends and family. It's always cool to see your furniture in a book or film or something.

Rogue, welcome
and don't be scared. We don't bite unless you ask us about Mahogany Association numbers.
Please, please don't try to make you house look like something out of a magazine or a Vitra showroom. Travel around, buy things you like and make them work.
Right now I am sitting in a house in France and, as you have an interest in American designers, I will tell you that I see 3 George Nelson lights hanging above my dining room table and a little Eames LTR between two lounge chairs.
Everything else is from somewhere else and it's an eclectic mix. For example, not but 10 inches away from my right hand are three tobacco jars from South Africa where I keep my loose euro and swiss franc coins.
Don't be afraid to be different. It's what makes design interesting.

most sincere thanks.
Thanks to everyone who took some time to reply to my post. It's been an exciting journey to piece together what we have so far and I'm just as excited about where we'll take it. As a side note--and simply from the side of style, we tend to pepper in a great deal of industrial salvage stuff to tone down the monotony of the wood. We find that period matching industrial items highlight the wood very well by offering such contrast. Anyway, thanks again to all of you. I'm sure this won't be the last of the questions!!
Enjoy your weekend and the WC final!

I would just add,
don't hesitate to get rid of stuff that you once thought you'd love forever if you find something you love more. It's ok to make changes. I can't tell you how many times I've done this in the past 10 years! Lots. LOTS.
And, the most boring interiors as far as I'm concerned are the ones where the owner has one of each iconic piece. It's like a checklist--got it, got it, got it, got it, DONE.

ummm...
...Yeah.
We've been fortunate to find some of those "checklist" pieces for stoopid, stoopid prices. We literally paid $7 for a nearly perfect Erik Buch stool at a thrift shop. A lady was sitting on it waiting for a cart of shoes to make it to the floor. No kidding...
It's happened a few times and, mostly because of the story, they become very, very hard to part with. Even if the resale margins would pay for lots of other replacements!
All in due time. I appreciate that as a reminder.
Cheers.

Hey Noob
My advice is to not have a plan, and just have FUN, and gravitate to what pieces you like, kind of organically. What makes your heart sing, and the rest be damned.
Give your eye and preferences time to develop as you go along. Then do as spanky says-- be ready to switch things out, because you WILL learn and you will find better stuff later, as your tastes evolve. Exposure to things and new knowledge will cause this to happen.
For me, it was a matter of clean lines and organic forms that first got my attention. Completely trusting my intuition, with not much in the way of awareness of who was who. (Then that all goes to hell as soon as you start paying closer attention hahahah) But try to keep that spirt.
Also, the serendipity of finding something really cool for next to nothing has its own say in the matter. So you have to be open to (and enjoy) the "not knowing" part. It is the key to things sometimes. Who can predict what you will find? And sometimes you don't even know what you want until its right there in front of you.
At this point, I would say I'm pretty down the river on Eames stuff. But it wasn't always that way. Along the way I had lots of other stuff. And that eventually gave way to what became a bit of an obsession.
Lately I find great enjoyment in the various steps in the development of the various Eames chair base incarnations. Total nerd I know. Sometimes I just want to show off my base collection and screw the rest. Maybe I will.

I do tend to focus on a...
I do tend to focus on a designer.
And I do think American stuff with a Danish stuff is odd.
The Americans and the Danes, as a very broad generalization, appreciated very different things. The Danes were interested in perfecting all the details. The Americans were interested in novelty. There is a sociological difference in back of this; it isn't random chance. But the two clash in an unsettling, unharmonious way for me.
I would suggest you look closely at what you like and keep asking yourself why you like it, and don't fall for the first scripted answer you find (clean lines, simplicity). There is more.

of course there is more...
But I was addressing a noobie, remember?
Keeping it light and simple. I'm a lifer painting and drawing teacher for 35 years and I have learned to have a respect for a person's level of inquiry.
I tend to agree with your observations about disharmony in the two attitudes. Except for the use of the term "novelty". Really pejorative.

Hi Eameshead,
I wasn't...
Hi Eameshead,
I wasn't directing my comment about continuing to ask beyond the simple answers at you. I know you know all about that. That's practically one way of defining your profession as a teacher.
And, yes, novelty is coming off as very pejorative, but my intention was not to come off that way. What I am speaking to is the American tendency to innovate, to discover/design the new. It is about consciously going where no one has gone before and claiming the place. This can be seen pejoratively, of course (what can't?), but I was just trying to be descriptive here.

But that's negative in its own way, leif...
Why couldn't Americans be interested in innovation rather than "claiming the place for the first time" as you so cynically put it?