DIY Mid-Century Modern Home & Garden Decor

Love decor with sleek lines, geometric shapes, and a futuristic style? Incorporate mid-century modern design into your home. Not ready to spend thousands of dollars on new furnishings? Check out the DIY mid-century modern home and garden decor projects below. Make your own furniture, patio trellis, or wall art. Incorporate mid-century modern style into your home without breaking the bank.

Introduction to Mid-Century Modern

Mid-century modern style took hold in the U.S. in the late 1940’s and lasted through the 1960’s. This style embraced the future. Americans were captivated with Sputnik, astronauts launching into space, and The Jetsons.

New materials, including bent plywood, fiberglass, and plastic laminates, inspired new furniture designs. Construction materials were featured.

Mid-Century architecture brought modernism into America’s post-war suburbs. Function was as important as form. Floor plans were open and homes incorporated many large windows. The utilization of post and beam construction allowed for the elimination of support walls. This allowed for large, open spaces that connected the interior with the outdoors.

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DIY Home & Garden Decor

A collection of DIY tutorials are provided below, along with similar items available for purchase. These might inspire you to roll up your sleeves to tackle a project to save money. Love the style? No time for DIY? Create a home you love by purchasing furniture and decor.

Coffee Table

Tim Ouyang at Bay on a Budget shares a great tutorial for construction of this cool coffee table. Measurements, instructions, and lots of pictures are included. The cost to build this table is approximately $60.

Side Chair

This sleek chair has classic mid-century lines. Detailed instructions for construction of the chair can be found at Designs by Studio C. An overview and example of a build is available at Shelterness.

Garden or Patio Trellis

This geometric trellis provides the finishing touch to the carport of this mid-century modern home. Instructions and pictures can be found at A Beautiful Mess.

Carrera Marble Coffee Table

The hairpin legs on this coffee table add a mid-century modern spin to classic marble. Find out how to create this table for your space at The Striped House.

Patio Design

The patio below was designed by Coates Design Architects. This firm specializes in sustainable design and green building techniques. They work in the State of Washington, California, Oregon, Idaho and beyond. WOW! Wish I could build a custom home in the Pacific Northwest. I love their designs.

Use the photos for inspiration and consider creating your own mid-century modern patio space with large concrete pavers and pebbles. Add a sleek fire pit to finish off the space.

Gold Wall Decor

Use this easy, budget-friendly project to add visual interest to a blank wall. Find the tutorial at Stencil.

Desk

This desk is stylish and practical. Cassity at REMODELaholic provides all the information you need to build your own.

Final Thoughts

I have to confess, I didn’t always appreciate mid-century modern style. However, discovering Cliff May’s Rancho Estates while living in Long Beach, CA opened my eyes to this fantastic style. This neighborhood includes 700 mid-century modern homes built between 1953 and 1954. I enjoyed touring the neighborhood and the homes with open spaces and large windows.

Have a tight budget? DIY mid-century modern home and garden decor projects are a perfect way to get the style without breaking the bank.

Recently, I toured several mid-century modern homes in the western suburbs of Chicago. What a diverse and interesting style. We will target this era the next time we purchase a home. We used to love Arts and Crafts. What’s your decor style?

No time for DIY? Purchase furniture and decor to add mid-century modern style to your home and garden.

Interested in other decor styles? Check out these DIY Boho chic home and garden decor projects.