31 Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Decor Ideas to Redefine Your Space
Not every home has a dining room, and the ones that do, are usually the least decorated parts of a home when you compare it to a living room or the kitchen. And, when you have the luxury of a dining space in your home, you’re left thinking about how you’d go about decorating it.
Sometimes, you have a design style in mind but are left perplexed as to how to implement that style. If you’re stuck trying to spruce up your dining room in the mid-century-modern style, you’re not alone.
Of course, the most important part of your mid-century modern dining room is your dining table. Since just browsing through some classic pieces of furniture and throwing in the towel is not enough, we’ve listed 31 amazing mid-century modern dining room decor ideas that will instantly level up your dining space.
1. Add Natural Elements
This mid-century modern dining room is just so charming to look at. Each element carries itself beautifully and adds a layer of simplicity to the room. We find it really lovely how the incorporation of wishbone chairs and the woven light fixture complements the super rustic wooden table and how every piece captures the idea of a mid-century modern style.
2. Take the Rustic Route
One of the many admired aspects of the mid-century modern style is its ability to merge beautifully with other styles – including the rustic approach. You can see how the natural finishing is a staple in the dining room, and it makes the pairing thrive. The neutral color palette and the unique pieces, such as the curved dining chair, help the space seamlessly bring everything together.
3. Install An Adjoining Bench
An uncomplicated way to add more space to your sitting area and give a subtle nod to the mid-century style is by adding a bench in your dining space. If you have additional space, go a step further and get a full banquette. The retro look that it brings to your dining area will give out the best result for the money spent, and the best part is you now have additional storage with your bench.
4. Set Up Plant Shelves
This is an extremely trending idea around the world, and the #plantmom is still coursing through the interior decor world. Setting up a shelf for your plants is a characteristic way to welcome natural elements into your mid-century modern dining room. The plants complement the clean lines of the mid-century modern dining set beautifully and add a degree of coolness to the room.
5. Use Mirrors to Expand Your Space
Mirrors tend to make the room feel bigger than it actually is. Be it in your hallway, your living room, or your dining area; mirrors make for a great decor piece just as much as they’re functional pieces. Go for round and small mirrors since they fit well in a dining room, and watch how it elevates the vibe of your next soiree.
6. Create Contrast With Black
The mid-century modern style is well known for its lighter tones. One way to really make them shine even more is to create lots of contrast. You can see how every element in this evidently simple mid-century modern dining room pops off against the black entryway and the fireplace. The other parts of the room are full of lighter tones which creates an ideal balance.
7. Brighten It Up With a Wallpaper
Wallpapers are a simple way to cover up that nook in your dining room and liven it up. Add wallpapers that are full of lively colors and patterns. This creates a beautiful effect of zest and vitality. You could also showcase your creative side by putting up an accent wall.
8. Add Art to Your Wall
Art has a way of telling a story that we, as human beings, could never tell. And what better mid-century piece to hang up than vintage art in your mid-century modern dining chairs? Whatever style of art you choose, whether it is the type you find in thrift shops or something that is crafty, synchronizing the Artscape can help usher in an air of authenticity in your indoor space.
9. Throw In Decorative Pillows
A bench with your dining set can come as a blessing. You don’t have to keep it bare, and adding some fancy pillows is a great way to add some life and comfort to the seating area. A quick tip on this idea would be not to overwhelm the bench with pillows and keep it down to just the right number with respect to the size of the bench.
10. Use Muted Tones
This dining room has both muted tones and bright color schemes going for it and has seemingly struck the perfect balance between the two styles. Muted tones allow you to work well with colors without seeming too overpowering on your senses or the room as a whole. These tones also tend to work really well with mid-century design themes.
11. Make Use of Round Fixtures
Add a twist to your dining room by switching from the regular rectangular table to a round table. This is not widely implemented at homes, but we can see from this room that it superbly creates the geometric aspect and makes your dining space shine. Round tables also give you lots of room to walk around and are excellent alternatives to work with while shaping up your dining room.
12. Blend It In With Traditional Fixtures
The blending of modern with the traditional, more often than not, yields positive results. Your shaker-styled chairs can co-exist naturally with other mid-century furniture that possesses a common geometric bend. Take inspiration from these homeowners and top it off with a light fixture to balance the scales and complete the look of your mid-century modern dining room.
13. Keep It Clean & Simple
Clean lines and a streamlined look is the defining feature of the mid-century modern style. Stick to a single color palette and watch how it helps your dining space stand out. The white walls in this home give it a bright look and lots of room to shine. The gold chandelier, along with the white-marble tabletop, acts as the icing on the cake and really helps bring the place together.
14. Add Warmth to Your Space
Implement a warm color scheme to bring that feeling of warmth to your dining room. When splashed on your decor, colors like red, walnut brown, and tangerine really help keep the spirits up in the room. This dining space has toned down off-white chairs to set the mood of the space.
15. Maintain Cohesiveness
The very idea of implementing the mid-century modern style of decor is derived from the concept of experimentation. Conversely, you could also keep it cohesive by working with subtle color palettes. You could also check out natural materials such as wood, jute, or wicker to spruce things up.
16. Take The Minimalistic Approach
Minimalism isn’t essential for a mid-century modern style, but the two approaches do complement each other consistently. Instead of covering your walls with bold colors and decor, go for a white palette with natural accents and try to minimize the usage of decorative accessories to create a striking look for your mid-century modern dining room.
17. Let The Sunlight In
This idea is again subject to if your home’s dining room has that additional space or not, but if it does, flooding your space with natural light is perfect for a mid-century modern design. Place your dining set right next to windows with unrestricted sunlight to not only enjoy the view but also allow the sunlight to highlight the clean lines and the decor that is so popular in this widely used style.
18. Set Up a Dark Wall
A dark board used as a backdrop for your dining room? That is an idea that is often not implemented, but the contrast that the dark beadboard gives out with the trendy wooden chairs really highlights the mid-century built-ins in an appreciative way. And it does a great job in covering up the spots on your walls as well if you end up living in an old house.
19. Set Up a Personalised Gallery Wall
Displaying singular pieces of art is great, but you could also take it up a notch and go with a life-size gallery wall in your mid-century modern dining room. Dining rooms are extremely versatile spaces, and curating a wall full of aesthetic prints that are in line with the tone of the other parts of the room can go a long way in creating an integrated space.
20. Be Neutral With Your Colors
Try keeping things painted with a neutral color scheme in your dining room. Add some wooden tones, wicker baskets, or furniture, and paint your walls with greige (grey+beige) to create a calming atmosphere in your space. Throw in some plants, your favorite art, and chairs with vintage designs to complete the overall look.
21. Level It Up With a Ledge
Floating Shelves are a concept that even the most hardcore home decorator can vouch for. It allows you to keep switching your artwork and decor according to your mood, making it really versatile. Additionally, it doesn’t ruin the sleek lines and minimalism of your mid-century modern dining chairs and, in turn, complements them beautifully.
22. Go For a Monochrome Color Palette
This color scheme is for monochrome lovers. You can see how the black table and chairs create a beautiful contrast with the crisp white walls. The dining set and the overhead light fixture add to the look and complement each other seamlessly.
23. Go for Geometric Walls or Murals
Here’s an offbeat idea that will also appeal to the true mid-century modern purists. Go for hand-painted wallpaper or patterned murals in the dining room. Make sure you persist with a sober palette to ensure everything stays as cohesive as possible with the minimal-looking furniture in your dining space.
24. Make a Statement With Your Lighting
Embracing the lighting fixtures is the perfect example to create a lasting impression in the minds of your guests and a way to embrace your mid-century design in your dining room. Whether you’re leaning towards spatial lighting, something clean and streamlined, or something you feel is unique to your taste, lighting fixtures are a perfect way to blend fashion with functionality.
25. Combine Wood Tones With White
Pairing white color with wooden tones is a classic combination and can be a great place to start if you’re unsure how to go about arranging your mid-century dining room. White walls with wooden accents allow you the freedom to keep things lowkey and create a foundation that you can build on over time.
26. Try Chairs with Cane Backs
Chairs, along with the dining table, are more often than not the stars of your dining room. One of the most defining features of the mid-century modern style is clean lines and geometric shapes; therefore, implementing those ideas in your chair is a secure way of creating your dream space. Cane chairs, as used in this dining room, are common in modern mid-century design and powerful tools to mix style and functionality.
27. Layer It Up On Your Bench
If you’re one of those people who enjoy softening those clean and sleek lines of your mid-century furniture, then you ought to layer them up with textiles. You could customize each perch top with its own piece of cloth and throw in some snug throw pillows to bring eclectic vibes to your dining room.
28. Get Artsy With Your Choices
If you’re the type of person who loves to mix and match your colors and be playful with them, this is the style for you. Go for offbeat decor items that are eye-catchers for everyone. Get creative with your choice of furniture and decor by getting accented chairs with quirky colors on them. A unique chandelier above your dining table will also add intrigue and makes for a great conversation piece.
29. Glam It Up
The mid-century modern design is not often related to being glamorous. But that’s not the case with all scenarios. Take this room for example – Soft tones of pink, warm whites, and silver accents allow this room to appear like it has a distinct glow to it, which makes this mid-century modern dining room a perfect blend of posh and mid-century.
30. Get an Oval Dining Table
Oval tables tend to take up lesser space and offer more freedom to move around and fit the same number of guests. The streamlined tabletop is an advantageous design choice, and the star-shaped base makes the whole piece a striking centerpiece that is sure to redefine your dining room.
31. Add Bold Colors
Opposites attract, too, remember? Mid-century modern style and maximalism can pleasantly complement each other. Take this bold retro wallpaper in this mid-century modern dining room, for example. It acts as the room’s focal point, and the loud, cheerful colors allow white-colored fixtures to really stand out.
Conclusion
Mid-century modern dining rooms are as much a design choice as they are a statement choice. This style never disappoints and adds layer after layer into whichever space it is implemented in your home. These 31 ideas are some of our favorite ones that we’ve seen work wonders in different households, and we hope that you get inspired by these and execute them in your home.
