Midcentury Modern Furniture Designers and 8 Easy Updates

You don't need a vintage showroom to borrow from the famous midcentury modern furniture designers. Pick one idea from each of them (a molded shell, a single pedestal, a visible wood frame) and apply it to a piece you already need to replace.

Below are eight small updates, each tied to a designer, with the sizes that make them work and notes for homes with pets, kids or a lease. If you want the wider history first, see our list of 15 famous midcentury modern furniture designers.

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Why these designers still help small rooms

Most of them were solving a practical problem: how to make furniture lighter, more comfortable and easier to fit into smaller postwar homes. That is why their ideas travel well. Slim legs, open frames and low profiles all keep more floor and wall visible, and a room that shows more of its surfaces feels bigger.

It's also very common to buy a full vintage set and end up with a room that feels like a museum. I'd rather you add one or two pieces and let the rest of your home stay yours.

Eight updates inspired by midcentury designers

1. Eames: swap a bulky armchair for a molded shell

Charles and Ray Eames shaped plywood and fiberglass to fit the body. A molded chair lets light pass around it, so it takes up less visual space than a fully upholstered one. For a lounge chair, a seat height of about 15-17 inches keeps it relaxed without making it hard to stand up.

Check where the legs attach to the shell. On older or cheaper copies those connections can loosen, which matters if kids or dogs treat the chair like a launch pad.

2. Saarinen: replace four table legs with one pedestal

Eero Saarinen disliked the clutter of chair and table legs, and his Tulip pedestal was the answer. A round pedestal table suits a breakfast nook because there are no corners to bump and chairs tuck in fully. For four people, look for a diameter of about 42-48 inches, and leave about 36 inches between the table edge and the wall.

Choose a heavy base. A light one wobbles, and a large dog brushing past will find that out quickly.

3. Wegner: choose a visible wood frame

Hans Wegner stripped chairs down to their structure, and the Wishbone chair is the best-known result. You don't need that exact chair. Any piece where the wood frame is part of the look breaks up a room full of boxy, fabric-covered shapes.

If you have a cat, avoid softwoods like pine, which scratch easily. Walnut, oak and teak take a paw swipe better and age gracefully. Look for real joinery (finger joints or mortise and tenon) rather than staples.

4. Noguchi: soften the center with a curved table

Isamu Noguchi was a sculptor, and his coffee table is a lesson in breaking up the grid of rectangular rugs and sofas. A kidney or triangular table changes how people walk around the room and softens hard architectural lines.

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The original uses a heavy glass top. With toddlers around, I recommend a solid wood version with rounded edges instead. You keep the sculptural shape and lose the shatter risk.

5. Nelson: add a slatted bench

George Nelson's slat bench is a seat, a low table and a plant stand in one. Because it is slatted, you can see the floor through it, which keeps a small room from feeling crowded. In an entryway, a bench of about 48 inches against the wall works well, with a mirror hung 8-10 inches above it. At the foot of a bed, keep it lower than the mattress top.

6. Bertoia: use wire chairs where you need air

Harry Bertoia built chairs from metal rods, so they are mostly open space. They suit a tiny kitchen, a patio or any corner that feels stuffed. They are hard, though, so add a seat pad if anyone will sit for long.

Powder-coated steel also handles pets well. Fur doesn't cling to it and it wipes clean.

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7. Florence Knoll: go low with storage

Florence Knoll is known for long, low lines. Trading a tall bookcase for a credenza keeps storage below waist height and frees the wall above for art. If a TV sits on top, the credenza should be wider than the screen, and media units need ventilated backs so electronics don't overheat. Leave a few inches behind it for cables.

8. Risom: add woven strap texture

Jens Risom used webbing on his chairs, which adds warmth without the bulk of upholstery. The chairs are light, so they suit renters who move often. Cotton webbing stains, so treat it with a fabric guard. If your cat sees straps as a scratching post, leather strapping is the sturdier choice.

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Accent chair ideas from the midcentury playbook

Four of these designers (Eames, Wegner, Bertoia and Risom) are really chair makers, which makes them a good source of unique accent chairs for living room corners. Wire and open-frame styles also work as an accent chair idea for a small living room, because you can see through them.

Do accent chairs have to match the sofa?

No. Midcentury rooms look best when the pieces share a tone rather than a set. Pick a wood tone or a color already in the room and repeat it once. A chair that is clearly different from the sofa in shape, but related in color or material, usually looks intentional.

How to style an accent chair

Angle it toward the seating group instead of pushing it flat against a wall. Leave about 18 inches between it and the coffee table. Add a small side table within reach, and one throw or cushion is enough. For more on color, see our midcentury modern color palette ideas.

Finish the look: light, rugs and accessories

Walnut and teak go gray under cool daylight bulbs, so choose warm white LEDs around 2700-3000K. A high color rendering index (90 or more) shows wood grain better.

Midcentury furniture has long legs, so a small rug leaves them half on and half off. At minimum, the front legs of every seat should sit on the rug. Low-pile wool or flatweave is easier to keep clean than shag when pets shed. Group accessories in odd numbers, with different heights, and stop before the shelf looks busy. If your room still feels off, our list of common midcentury decorating mistakes is a good checklist.

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Start with the one update that fixes your most annoying problem, whether that is a cramped dining nook or a clunky armchair. Measure first, then buy.

Frequently asked questions