Flip through any furniture brochure or stroll through any home décor store and you’re bound to notice beautiful retro style Mid-Century Modern furniture and accessories. It may be 2018, but the nostalgic pull of the ingenious architectural designs of the 1950’s is taking modern-day homes back in time.
The enduring popularity of the Mid-Century Modern style is based on many factors. It's classic, beautiful and a little bit funky. Low-slung sofas, bold patterns and fabulous furniture pieces with simple, clean lines and tapered legs successfully combine to create rooms that are stylish, functional and comfortable. It’s no wonder people continue to be drawn to this iconic design style.
While there is some disagreement about when the period started, it roughly lasted from the mid-1930s to mid-1960s. Technological advances led to production and development of a range of new materials making it possible to explore new textures and effects, colors and even new form. The timeless quality of the style, however, continues to appeal to today's homeowners.
Do you find yourself drawn to Mid-Century Modern décor? Dream of incorporating a little (or a lot) of this timeless style into your home, but not sure where to start? By understanding the distinguishing features of the style, you can pieces that echo that. Iconic pieces from this era have been adapted and copied endlessly, and chances are that you might be able to find pieces that fit your lifestyle needs and budget, if you don't want to spend a fortune on furniture. Here are some tips:
- Vintage Mid-Century Modern furniture pieces are the key to a fabulous Mid-Century Modern room. Start here by considering Boyhill, Lane, Kent Coffey, or Mt. Airy furniture. One large piece can set the tone for your room nicely.
- Build around it. It does not have to be a set, but avoid too many patterns and stay within a color range, especially for wood.
- Layer in pops of color with artwork or fabrics, just a bit of bold pattern and of course a little shine with metallic accents (star bust mirror anyone?)
- Try lighting fixtures like unique pendant lights and remember, mid-century modern is not a matchy,-matchy style, so no need to find lamp sets!
- Pull in a few plants and a chic terrarium & voila! You’ve got a timelessly beautiful Mid-Century Modern room.
True Mid-Century Modern furniture and accessories are highly sought after, and finding good pieces can be difficult, but we can help! We have over 500 dealers in 3 locations and during February, the Buford Queen will be featuring Mid-Century Modern furniture in their dealer consignment area. Chances are, we’ve got some fantastic items just waiting to become part of your fab new Mid-Century Modern room!
Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see more from our dealers, including this recent post featuring Mid-Century Modern pieces!
Each month we will be doing a blog about one of our dealer-merchants from each of our three stores that offers unique, one-of-a-kind antiques and merchandise for your home and garden. We have a lot of creative, savvy and talented dealers and we thought you would enjoy getting to know them!
Anitra Mecadon (Dealer Code ANITRA) has been a dealer-merchant at the Alpharetta Queen of Hearts since September 2014 and her booth is located on Church Street. Her booth, Sophisticated Junk, specializes in colorful accents and accessories for your home, and she is obsessed with mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles, up-cycled accessories, original artwork, vintage furniture, accessories and lamps and all things rusty! As the TV host and Design/Build Expert of the DIY Network show, MegaDens, she is a very busy woman but she was gracious enough to sit down with us for a few minutes to answer some questions. Her down to earth personality and warm sense of humor will have you grinning and you just want to sit and talk with her all day. We love having her as one of our dealers at the Queen and she says of the experience, “The Queen has been one of my go-to haunts for MegaDens since 2010. I would start every single show with a trip to the Queen. Now, I get to share my unique eye and perspective on Design/Décor with my customers!”
Stroll down Church Street at the Alpharetta Queen of Hearts and you can easily find her colorful, eclectic booth artfully arranged and displayed with all things vintage and secondhand, with Mid-Century and Hollywood Regency gems sitting along side pillows and throws made of vintage fabric, architectural salvage pieces, upcycled accessories, original artwork, vintage lamps and perfectly rusted accents!
She says her favorite items to sell are “Vingtage! I love sending handpicked Vintage Treasures off to a new home: I call it “Furniture Rescue.” I think what drives this desire is that when you shop and sell vintage repurposed items you are honoring the past but also daring to see it differently. I also love that furniture was real back then, not made of glue and cardboard like the stuff you find today. It was made with love by the hand of a real honest to god craftsman!”
Almost every item in her home is secondhand as she is a true lover of the HUNT! She has repainted, reupholstered, and rethought every single piece. Her home is always a work in progress and she loves everything from her 1960’s chrome lamps to her Superman Blue Dining Table! But her favorite thing in her home is her secondhand animals, as she has a house full of rescues that give her unconditional love and affection each and every day!
We asked her what trends she loves and her response was, “I love the vintage fabric and rug trend that is happening now. For years, I have been obsessed with antique textiles: the patterns, colors and craftsmanship blow my mind. What I love about this trend, it’s timeless. Look through vintage design magazines and old movies. Notice anything in the background? I bet there’s a Persian rug! I feel that vintage over-dyed area rugs are a great way to add a pop of color to any style room. I am also loving the vintage Persian rug accessories. Pillows and ottomans made of vintage Persian rug remnants are the perfect addition to help create the look of a well-collected room. If you’re looking to add a bit of color and texture to your space, this is the trend for you.”
Anitra was recently married on October 31, 2013, which makes Halloween her favorite time of the year! She grew up in Pittston, Pennsylvania, which is a tiny town outside of Scranton and filled with hardworking people that love their tomatoes. She is lucky to live her hobbies and interests every day, which is hunting for vintage treasures, painting and helping save animals!
She is currently the Design/Build Expert and host of MegaDens on DIY Network and has hosted shows on both HGTV and DIY, like All American Handyman, Behind the Build of the HGTV Dream Home, Behind the Build of the HGTV Smart Home, Esquire Magazine’s Ultimate Bachelor Pad, and so much more. as well as a Design/Build expert, Set Stylist/Dresser, Furniture Designer, Holiday Decorating and Wedding Décor specialist.
You can usually find Anitra at the Alpharetta Queen on Thursdays when she is in town. Be sure to check out MegaDens on Wednesdays at 8 pm on DIY Network! To find out more about Anitra, visit her website at www.AnitraMecadon.com or her Facebook or Pinterest - Anitra Mecadon or Funkologie. She is also launching a new blog at www.Funkologie.com so be sure to check it out!
We love having Anitra as part of our Queen family and enjoy seeing her and her big smile when she comes in! She is always willing to stop and chat and give us the scoop on what really goes on behind the scenes!
