A white room with large sliding glass doors at one end and a wall with four clerestory windows above a white sofa with surprising curved bolster pillows for arms. Curves continue in the white side tables and tall black circular side tables, and a large cylindrical pale wood coffee table. The textural area rug interrupts a white background with yellow rectangular motifs, and yellow stools with white leather tops and bold graphic pillows on the sofa bring more citrus colors into the mix.

Desert Modern Design

A two-story midcentury house by Richard Neutra features Desert Modern elements including boulders, rough stone walls, vertical slats, and bleached natural colors. The landscape is spare, with poured concrete, gravel, and cacti.

The Origins of Palm Springs Architecture & Design

Palm Springs has had an outsized influence on midcentury modern (MCM) architecture and design.

Four squares containing bright and busy textile patterns designed in the 1950s and 1960s by textile designer Lucienne Day. The upper left design has a taupe background with black, white, yellow, and red half moon shapes of different sizes and patterns aligned along straight lines like stylized flowers on stems. At upper right are white outlines of leaves overlaid on squares of varying shades of green. At lower left is a grey background overlaid with roughly rectangular faded coral, faded blue, and white shapes with tiny black characters (stars, squares, leaves) overlaid above the colors in lines. At lower right is a goldenrod covered square with many square and triangular lines and dots overlaid in black.

Midcentury Modern Colors

Don’t let the grey and beige midcentury furniture reproductions in home furnishing stores fool you. Actual midcentury home colors were often vivid and varied!

Six bent plywood midcentury modern chairs are displayed inside glossy white square cells at the Danish Museum of Art & Design. Three chairs are on the top row, and three more are below. Arne Jacobsen's Series 7 chair is at upper right. None of the chairs is labeled.

When Danish Modern Style Ruled

In the 1940s, during World War II, Danish designers were prominent leaders in the movement to design and make affordable, functional, elegant furniture. Danish designer Kaare Klint (1888–1954) is today considered the father of modern Danish design. He helped establish the Department of Furniture Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and taught […]

The Birth of Midcentury Modernism

Midcentury modernism of the 1950s and 1960s is based on innovations of architects and designers of the 1920s and 1930s. Explore what led to the style’s creation and eventual massive popularity.

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When Pets Scratch Furniture and Floors

Q: My cat and dog are wrecking my home! My dog gets the zoomies every evening and tears across my wood floors like he’s on fire. In just three months, he’s scratched the floors up where he makes hairpin turns around the stairwell and in front of the doors. My cat is well on her […]

A large canopy bed with a simple dark wood frame coordinates with other similarly stained wooden elements around the room: a low fluted credenza, walnut paneling above the window at back and behind the bed, and framed paintings. A large wooden bench at the foot of the bed with taupe and cream upholstery and pillows matches the bedding. A large creamy textured rug sits on a wooden floor.

2024 Interior Design Trends

Looking to freshen up your home with something new and intriguing? Despite the recent “mob wife” design trend that features bolder, blingier attire and decor, the bigger overall trend this year is for subtler, classic, low-key luxury. Here’s a round-up of top 2024 interior design trends in furnishings, colors, materials, and decor from major designers […]

Many fabrics are draped all over walls in a bazaar in Central or South Asia

Decorate Your Home with Fabric

Q: I love the idea of using more patterned fabrics as decor, but so far all I can think to make with them is curtains, pillows, or quilts. How else can I decorate with fabric around my home? I’d like to try something more interesting and unusual. A: There are many ways to add variety […]