- Finding retro furniture is easy. Visit thrift stores, secondhand furniture shops, flea markets and antique shops in your area to locate pieces. Midcentury modern furniture remains affordable, particularly wooden case good pieces, including side tables, dressers, bed frames, and dining sets. Consider adapting vintage pieces to a modern use. A low and wide dresser can become a modern entertainment center or a vintage stereo cabinet can be hollowed out to serve as a bar or bookshelf. It can be more difficult to find vintage upholstered pieces in good condition. You can, however, find great retro style pieces made today. Look for simple upholstered pieces, and avoid anything overstuffed. Exposed wood frames are ideal for side chairs, and many Danish modern pieces adapt well to a retro design scheme. Look for damasks, mod prints or simple and neutral solids in charcoal, tan or black for your retro room.
- Colors in the midcentury home were vivid and bright. New technology made brighter paint and upholstery colors more accessible. Bright aqua, pink, seafoam green and vivid chartreuse are all common colors in the 1950s home. Consider pairing cherry red with a butter yellow or aqua blue. If you are looking for a 1960s retro look, consider orange, gold, rust and brown. You can go all the way with color or simply opt to add retro color touches to a more neutral contemporary room. In the case of either a 1950s or 1960s look, you can consider wood paneling. But be sure to use real wood and keep lighting in mind to keep the space from looking dark and dated.
- Choose a combination of vintage and modern retro accessories for your midcentury style home design. In the kitchen, modern reproductions or retro styled pieces are ideal. It is easy to find blenders, toasters, mixers and other kitchen items with a great retro look, especially if you opt for a chrome finish for your kitchen accessories. Display cookie jars, salt and pepper shakers or old aprons in your retro style kitchen. Vintage items, including lamps, planters, clocks, and mirrors work very well in the bedroom, living room or home office.
