Television & the mid century modern living room
By the early ‘60s, living rooms weren’t being treated like museums anymore. Instead of stiff arrangements and furniture no one was supposed to sit on, the mid century modern aesthetic was in full swing, with decorators leaning into casual layouts and pieces people actually wanted to use. You’d see curved ottomans in the middle of the room, low-slung chairs that looked more like sculpture than seating, and color schemes that didn’t play it safe. The trend wasn’t about throwing out tradition completely — plenty of homes still had antiques and chandeliers — but the mix started to shift. The rules relaxed.
Manufacturers caught on quickly. More furniture was designed with real lounging in mind. Storage pieces got reworked to hide record players and TV speakers. Tables doubled as game boards. The goal was to make a space that worked for actual living. That could mean bold art on the walls, deep colors on the carpet, or a fireplace that stretched floor to ceiling. What mattered most was that it felt lived-in.
Color played a huge part too. Homeowners in the 1960s didn’t shy away from bright yellows, tangerines, blues and reds. Some went all-in with colorful furniture or painted walls, while others stuck to neutral tones and used bold hues as accents. Either way, the palette was wide open. Personality started to guide design choices more than strict rules about what went where.
Below we’ve pulled together over 50 vintage photos below showing how mid century modern living room decor looked in real homes of the 1960s. There’s a little bit of everything — stone fireplaces, open-concept layouts, dramatic ceilings, wild color choices and all the details that defined the style. Have a look!
The living room is for living (1967)
Press and Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, New York) January 8, 1967
If there is one single trend that persists in the home furnishings picture of the ’60s, it’s the unabated emphasis on having room decor which clearly establishes it as a room for living.
What a welcome about-face from other days when a living room was strait-jacketed into a formal parlor to be kept dark and generally unused until company came!
Nowadays, in even the most formidably formal homes, the living room usually reflects the home’s occupants and their day-to-day activities.
Prime factor in the development of this casualness is the realization that the rules of decorating are not inflexible. Antiques are no longer found only in period settings: in-stead they mix amicably with contemporary furniture and fabrics.
China collections are not necessarily housed only in cabinets: in today’s decor, they can become wall ornaments or can be massed casually on a tabletop; paintings are used in unexpected places, including even the kitchen.
A widely dissimilar collection of art objects — paintings, clocks, choice furniture and sculpture — was even displayed in a one-wall “gallery” created in a model living room here, this wall becoming the traditional “focal point” of the room.
FURNITURE itself is different, with comfort superseding most previous limitations of period purity. Even in furniture arrangement, there is evidence that rooms are for living: static, stiff placements have given way to groupings which permit the relaxed flow of conversation.
Another contributing factor in creating a casual, lived-in look is the fact that pieces of furniture and accessories once regarded as too informal for the living room have happily been accepted — as long as the piece contributes to comfort.
For example, decorator Michael Taylor in a formal Louis XV living room — with Venetian over-mantel and crystal chandelier prominent in the room’s decor — flanked the period fireplace with a pair of 1930-type chaise longues, piled high with pillows for reclining.
MANUFACTURERS, too, have contributed to the development of informality in the living room. Ottomans now appear in many sizes and shapes, from round to mush-room, making living room furnishings that encourage relaxed lounging unheard of in less casual days.
The ottomans, this century’s “footstools,” are the accepted accompaniment for many chairs, some even formal in styling.
The armoire, used in 17th and 18th Century bedrooms as a closet for clothes, now graces living rooms as chests or bookcases.
An adaptation of the early American dry sink, used by colonials for their ablutions, may be converted into a music center, with doors hiding speakers, amplifiers and turn-table.
And there is the manufacturer who has made a combination lamp table and checkerboard to add a real note of informality to the living room. The lamp itself, on a metal arm, is curved to shed light on the table without interfering with the game.
Red retro living room style
Color in your living room
by Lynn Elson – Ada Evening News (Ada, Oklahoma) October 14, 1966
Fashions in color change every year on the home decorating scene, but personal tastes remain constant.
Psychologists tell us color preferences are related to personality traits. Outgoing people are likely to be drawn to bright, warm colors and strong contrasts. Introverted types usually go for cooler, quieter colors in monochromatic schemes.
Individuals respond to color fashions in their own terms. For example, when the trend is to bright colors like tangerine, some people will carpet the floor or paint two walls in the popular color. Others will use it only in small accents.
Yellow mid century modern living room decor from the 1960s
Blue vintage living room home decor from the ’60s
Blue trellis-clad walls give this living room decor some texture
Super-tall ceilings with exposed natural wood in this showplace 60s living room
Mid century modern living room decor in neutral shades and natural stone
Stone fireplace in a vintage 60s living room with a natural setting
