How to furnish a mid-century modern house...with Ikea? : Annie Elliott Design

The timing was almost spooky, Gentle Readers.

John and I have received permission to start spiffying up his mom’s weekend house, which was built — mostly with his grandfather’s own two hands — in the middle of the 20th century. Mid. Century ;)

Mid-century style living room with white walls and built-in bookcases — The sunroom. Photograph by Markus Wilborn

(You can read a little more about the house in last fall’s Home & Design if you like.)

Anyway, we’ve spent several recent weekends deep cleaning (we rented a steam cleaner for the rugs! I vacuumed the screens and curtains!), tossing the fossilized boxes of baking soda under sinks, and reassigning bedrooms to reflect how the family uses the house today. (Do the two grown children need to be crammed together into the tiniest bedroom? No they do not. Etc.)

AND, of course, *I* have been thinking about what furniture could be added or switched out over time.

Living room with pink walls, green sofa, and vintage Oriental rug — This is our living room in D.C. The chairs at left are destined for St. Michaels; they have enough of a mid-century vibe to work. The loveseat on the right might be going there also, even though it’s not perfect. Always start with what you have, right? ;)

So mid-century design has been top of mind, and then today!!, while I was working at a desk in that very house, my friend Morgan wrote me this: “Random out of nowhere question: If [my brother] and I were thinking of trying to shift the A-frame to more of an authentic A-frame 1964 design interior, would it even be worth considering any of the stuff here? I know IKEA is cheap, but you know, if it works, it works.”

Pine frame mid-century style chair in yellow and white room — The picture Morgan sent me. All of these are from Ikea, of course

The A-frame!!! Oh my gosh. Talk about ICONIC!!! Morgan’s dad built it, and she and her brother have been going there their whole lives. A brief pictorial history of the A-frame’s construction:

Vintage photograph of A-frame house under construction

Vintage photograph car in front of A-frame house under construction — I had to get the car in there :)

Vintage photograph of two men building an A-frame house

So here we are, Morgan and I, obsessed by the very same thing: furnishing a mid-century dwelling.

I confess that Ikea hadn’t sprung to mind as a potential resource for mid-century style furnishings. However, they’ve just debuted the Nytillverkad collection, which dusts off some of the designs they introduced in the 1950s. (Ikea has been around for a WHILE!)

Round modern rattan chair with steel base — Orreslätt. $150 bucks

I’m in full support of the Orreslätt chair! The Själsö, too, especially if you stain the frame (semi-opaque black?) and add a fun pillow.

Angular mid-century style arm chair with pine frame in blue room — The Själsö chair. Pine frame, recycled polyester and linen sling, $130 smackeroos

The natural materials are a big plus for me. Pine, rattan, steel…much better than the MDF (medium-density fiberboard) Ikea uses for so much of its furniture.

Orange bedroom with yellow and white daisy duvet bedspread — I also like the pine plant stand this vignette is trying to pass off as a bedside table.

Last Ikea item I approve for the A-frame (where whimsy does better than at my MIL’s house): the Dyvlinge chair. (What — no umlaut?)

When Morgan and I were in our 20s, our friend L devised the term “smelly hot” to describe certain people. Benicio Del Toro, for example. Can you see it? The Dyvlinge chair, too, is smelly hot. The corduroy is the clincher.

Green tufted corduroy chair with metal base

(Side note: if you’re doing any of this mid-century-ish furniture from Ikea, please skip the wooden pendant light in the first picture. Not everything should be from one place, and the iconic Nelson bubble lamps are still made. Please spring for one of those if you can.)

Mid-century paper bubble lanterns — You can buy them at Design Within Reach

Black and white photograph of man with cigarette and dog in a convertible — Designer George Nelson in his heyday. I know smoking is bad, but come ON! Smelly hot!

Look. My top recommendation when decorating in a vintage style is to buy vintage stuff.

Two mid-century turquoise chairs and tall blue gourd lamp

Remember when I wrote about our friends’ WVA cabin decorated in a mid-century style, Gentle Readers? That house is a MASTER CLASS in mid-century furnishings acquisition. It requires sleuthing, patience, determination, good taste, and timing.

Mid-century chair, table, lamp, and sunburst wall clock

I wish I had more time to poke around vintage stores (I do it as often as I can!), but John and I did find a fantastic pair of 1960s Swedish safari chairs in Hudson, NY right around the time we were married.

Room with built-in pine bookcase, light blue sofa and black leather chair — Chair is at left. Please note the cracked leather and the sun-bleached upholstery on the sofa. Authentic!

Are they comfortable? No! Are they easy to get in and out of? No! Does anyone ever sit in them? Rarely! But you know what? They’re wicked cool, they’re the right era, and they’re going nowhere. I love them.

Don’t let practicality get in the way of a good design, right? Only in your own house, of course ;)

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C.

Man and woman sitting in a framed house — Fred and Marjorie, Morgan’s mom and dad, at the A-frame in the 1960s

How to furnish a mid-century modern house…with Ikea?