It’s an understatement to say that mid-century modern style is a design trend.
A design staple since the mid 20th century, mid-century modern has never gone out of style.
Mid-century modern furniture is functional and timeless. It embraces natural materials and creates breathing space. It’s a style that is perfect for city life with limited space -- in other words -- perfect for Hong Kong homes.
Want to get that Mad Men-look for your home? We’ve put together a few styling tips and a list of our favorite furniture shops to help.
But first, let’s know more about the style.
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What is Mid-Century Modern Style?
Mid-Century Modern Home Decoration Tips
6 Mid-Century Modern Furniture Stores in Hong Kong
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1. What is Mid-Century Modern Style?
The minimalistic style can be dated back to the 1930s, but most would agree that it prospered in the late 40s to 50s when furniture pieces like Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman and the Noguchi Table wowed the world.
But it wasn’t until Cara Greenberg wrote a book and coined the style “Midcentury Modern” in 1984 that had sealed the legendary status of the style.
Thanks to its simplicity, mid-century modern design is timeless and versatile in interior design and furniture.
If you’re looking for a piece of furniture to pass on for generations and goes well with your contemporary homes, mid-century modern is a good style to start with.
2. Mid-Century Modern Home Decoration Tips
Mid-century Colors: Neutrals with Pops of Retro Colors
An orange sofa to go with the teak bookshelf.
A pop of pink painting that pairs with the brown curtain.
Mid-century modern is highlighted by its flexible color palettes – but it’s important not to overdo it.
To create a more timeless contemporary space, it’s good to start with neutral colors.
Neutral colors don’t just create a great blank canvas for your colorful furniture or patterned rugs, they also make a room looks more spacious.
Choose Low-To-The-Ground Furniture
A lot of the mid-century modern classics are designed with urban dwellers in mind, and hence, good for small flats.
Small furniture with clean lines and organic shapes will allow people and energy to flow naturally within the space.
By choosing furniture that is lower to the ground, it’ll create a more open layout and make a room looks more spacious.
Using multi-functional and stackable furniture also helps to declutter the space.
Make Use of Wood Details and Plants
Mid-century modern design often makes use of earthier elements like leather, dark wood and marble.
By choosing furniture that highlights its wood details (think Charles and Ray Eames’ plywood lounge chair), it’d make a room look cozier and classier.
In addition to getting furniture with natural elements, you can, of course, bring the nature inside by decorating a room with real house plants.
Use Bar Cart as an Alternative Room Divider
We’ve talked about keeping furniture lower to the ground.
So instead of having a tall bookshelf or a wall as a room divider, you can opt for smaller furniture to section a place.
A bar cart sitting between two spaces is a good alternative.
It’s where to display your retro-cocktail glasses and shaker, especially ideal for those who love entertaining guests at home.
It can also be where you put a small house plant or display small accessories.
Embrace Patterns, Especially Geometric Patterns
Mid-century modern style adores natural shapes and geometric patterns.
Bold patterns create a visual focus for a room. By choosing the right patterns for a room, it can also trick one’s eyes into thinking the room is bigger.
Rugs and wallpapers with repetitive patterns can make a room look more elongated or wider, depending on how you position it. It’s like how a striped shirt can make one look taller.
Decorate the Space With a Vintage Accessory or a Retro Art
Now that you have a home with timeless sleek lines and neutral colors, you can be playful and adventurous when it comes to accessories and artworks.
Accessories and art pieces are great ways to inject personalities into a home. At the same time, it’s easier to switch out and update occasionally comparing to furniture.
3. 6 Mid-Century Modern Furniture Stores in Hong Kong
1) Indigo Living
You can find something in gold, silver and velvet at almost every corner you look at Indigo Living.
Indigo Living sells furniture that exudes a luxurious feel.
There are a lot of easy-to-match items that are great for that mid-century modern look. The Rory Acrylic Bar Cart ($7,990) and Zane Gold Pendant $8,990, for example.
Address: 6/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing St., Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong
2) Organic Modernism
If you’re looking for original mid-century modern furniture, Organic Modernism is a must-visit shop.
Organic Modernism sells furniture that honours natural materials, especially bronze and walnut.
Its TV Media Console series ($10-15k) has legs to elevate the main unit off the floor, creating an airy feeling to the bulky piece.
Its Lucia B Round Dining Table with bronze leg and marble top and Diva Bench are two other items that will transport your space back to the mid 20th century.
Address: 8/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing St., Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong
3) Takumi
Picture courtesy: Takumi
Translated as artisans in Japanese, Takumi is where to find affordable quality wooden furniture with a Japanese touch.
Takumi’s furniture features angular lines and straight-forward designs. It plays with materials like walnut and leather.
Its walnut Flan Desk 100 ($14,800)’s no-frill design pairs easily with any style of chair or table lamp.
The store is displaying more items than what’s shown in the photo above. Enjoy discovering and searching for the gems hidden around the store!
Address: 26/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing St., Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong
4) My Concept Hong Kong
My Concept' Shek Tong Tsui store
Representing more than 40 brands from around the world, MyConcept offers a bit of every style for everyone.
Its impressive line-up features heavily on Italian and Scandinavian furniture – with names like Artemide, Valmori, Gubi and Norman Copenhagen.
We especially love MyConcept for items with a playful twist.
Moooi’s Heracleum II S ($21,000) is a softer and gentler version of the popular sunburst chandelier you see in a lot of mid-century modern interior.
AYTM’s Solum Table with a golden round top and a square granite food ($4,328) is also a beautiful piece that reminds you of last century but contemporary at the same time.
Address: Unit A & E, 10/F, Hong Kong Industrial Building, Des Voeux Road W., Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong
5) Manks
Founded in 1996, Manks is a pioneer in bringing designer furniture from the Scandinavian countries to Hong Kong.
Spanning over 6,000 square feet, its Wong Chuk Hang showroom is a must-visit stop for classic designer furniture.
Everywhere you look, Manks’ selections ooze simple elegance and subtle luxury.
Whether it is Anderssen & Voll’s Outline 3-Seater Sofa in Cognac Silk Leather ($58,560) or Space Copenhagen’s 1700 Spine Daybed by Space Copenhagen in blush ($80,350), it’s pretty hard to not love any purchase from Manks.
Address: 14F, Cheung Tak Industrial Building, 30 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang
6) Commune Home
Originating from Singapore, Commune’s furniture tends to have darker, walnut, rustic and metal finishes, giving it a mid-century modern feel.
The store is curated in a way so you can easily visualize how a piece would look in your home.
Some of our favorites include Rover 3-Seater Sofa with tweed fabric and leather finishes ($16,800) and Crimson Coffee Table ($3,880).
Check out its Facebook page for more products and prices.
Address: Shop 120, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par St., Tsuen Wan
Furniture Library
Furniture shopping can be overwhelming with all the choices out there. Luckily, there is a free centralized resource to help you get started.
Furniture Library is an online platform that combines all the furniture from 30+ stores/brands into one catalog. They also have a free service to help you visualize, get feedback, and order your furniture - making the experience hassle-free.
This platform was born out of The Editors Company's home styling service. The team found furniture shopping to be exceedingly overwhelming and time-consuming for most. Therefore, they decided to share the tools and services they built to everyone - free of charge - so that they can help more people have nicer homes!
Link: https://www.furniturelibrary.co/