My Non-Kitschy Mid-Century Décor Tips

The other day I got a question from a sweet follower, Shannon, asking about my process when mixing and matching mid-century pieces. She was curious if I had any insight to share to nail that cohesive kind of look without it reading as “kitschy.” Shannon told me that she looks at Facebook Marketplace regularly but gets overwhelmed with the range of various mid-century styles, and doesn’t know how to wade through it all when making a purchase. I loved this question, so I thought I’d write my answer as a full blog post in case any of you were wondering the same thing, too.

I think our previous 1960s home demonstrates this concept a little better than our current one since our home now is more on the “traditional” side of mid-century décor. So, the photos in today’s post are from our last house, which was very modern in both design and architectural style.

I’ve loved mid-century interior design for about 14 years now. When John and I started decorating our newlywed townhome back in 2012, we found ourselves leaning more and more toward retro décor. It was the perfect blend of our individual home styles from before we were married, and we’ve leaned into that style even more emphatically as the years have gone by.

I’ve spent a huge portion of my free time soaking up mid-century inspiration from books, documentaries, historical preservation home tours, and period TV shows and movies. As much as I love true mid-century décor from the old movies and shows that I love to watch (Sunday In New York, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, Bewitched, etc.), I’ve never been a purist when it comes to translating that love into my own home décor.

Yes, I love to collect retro antique furniture, art, lighting, and fixtures, but I’ve always considered myself an “eclectic”-leaning homemaker. Which brings me to the tips I wanted to share on the topic of mixing and matching to strike the perfect balance!

My best advice for nailing a non-kitschy style in mid-century (or any) home décor collection is to make sure you’re mixing new contemporary pieces in alongside authentic antiques. Our living rooms have always had modern 2000s-era sofas, but with 1950s-70s arm chairs as accents. Our end tables are generally secondhand finds, but the lights we often pair with those tabletops are new mid-century-style lamps—not the real deal. Or sometimes we’ll pair a retro antique lamp with a new, more contemporary side table. Point being that it’s important to mix old retro pieces with new contemporary accents in order to set your home apart from historical spaces that are filled with nothing but mid-century belongings.

Shannon specifically mentioned Facebook Marketplace. To be honest, this is the one time that I do search for mid-century antiques as a rule. If I’m going to be purchasing secondhand home décor, I’m generally always going to be searching within the true retro era. It’s when I’m purchasing new pieces outside of Marketplace that I stick with contemporary shapes and styles, although it’s worth mentioning that I still try to hunt for retro-style or reproduction pieces whenever I can (like our Eames-style lounge chair in the sunroom).

There was a time when I was decorating my first “big girl” home when I considered framing mid-century advertisements as art, but I stopped myself just beforehand with the thought that 1960s homeowners wouldn’t have framed a grocery store ad as art because, to them, it was just boring everyday life! That was the moment when I discovered where my “line” was. I realized that something like framing ads from the era was taking things just a little too far. Now, I try my best to strike a good balance of collecting antiques alongside new, more modern pieces so that our home ultimately honors the past without making it look like a Mad Men set.

To me, the term “kitschy” translates into a collection of pieces that are all from one specific era without any deviation whatsoever. Looking back at the photos of our old house, I think I was actually getting dangerously close to that look, but here in our new house, I’ve been a little more comfortable mixing and matching furniture from all kinds of “generations” of 1950s and ’60s styles. Think: a traditional Danish hutch in our dining room alongside a space-age glass dining table, or our oriental area rug in the sunroom beneath a 1970s tiled coffee table and formal blue velvet tufted couch that’s straight out of the original Father of the Bride movie.

I often stop in the middle of a room makeover to consider whether or not the room is starting to look like a curated film or museum set, and, if so, then that’s when I look for something a little unexpected to throw in to make it more natural and feel fresh for our reality circa 2026. And if you’re interesting in my advice for making a range of eclectic pieces feel cohesive? It’s as simple as sticking to a color palette! This book is one of my favorite shortcuts for picking a balanced collection of colors without having to think about it.

I hope that helps and that I didn’t completely miss the mark, Shannon! If today’s post has brought up more questions on this topic, please do leave a comment so I can address them in a later post. I’m very passionate about mid-century design, and would be happy to share my inspiration resources in more detail if that’s of interest. Just say the word!

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