7 Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Ideas Inspire a Vintage Vibe

Noticing mid-century modern designs came to me later in my life, but once I fell in love with this aesthetic, nothing could ever really compare (and now my entire apartment is mid-century modern inspired). There is something easy, neat, and frankly, sexy about mid century modern furniture and interior designs. 

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These kinds of designs feel like a breath of fresh air, as mid-century modern designs like to incorporate geometric and organic shapes, using minimal textures and colors, as well as minimal orientation. All of this combined characteristics brings about a sense of relaxation and easy. To me, there is nothing better than walking into a room that is purely made of teak with clean lines. 

Mid-century modern inspired pieces and designs can be noticed by their prioritization of function over form, contradictory textures and colors, neutrality, simplicity, and some incorporation of bringing nature indoors. And you also can’t ignore the teak. 

Genuine teak is so difficult to find nowadays, and so you’ll notice that pieces of furniture made from real teak are incredibly expensive. That’s because this gorgeous hardwood is the most durable, strongest, and hardest hardwood there is. It was so overwhelming over-logged that teak is a rarity, hence the hefty price tags. 

Anyway, I obviously love anything that is mid-century modern, and you probably will too once you’re done scrolling through this collection. Welcome to a world of wood, neutral colors, and feeling like your home is like walking into a bath.  Or in this case, your kitchen will feel like walking into a really nice kitchen. 

Related: Mid-Century Bathroom Ideas | Mid-Century Dining Room Ideas | Mid-Century Armchair Ideas | Mid-Century Modern Foyer Ideas | Mid-Century Modern Living Room Ideas | Mid-Century Modern Architects | Mid-Century Modern Bedroom Ideas

1. The Industrial MCM Kitchen

Layout: This is clearly a professional person’s kitchen with this layout: tons of counter space, tons of storage space, and everything made from stainless steel. While the majority is for utility, we get a little bit of a homey aspect in the breakfast bar and corresponding stools. 

Furniture & Appliances: A combination that you will often see with mid-century modern designs often happen with industrial inspiration as well. These two aesthetics work very well together because they are both minimal in texture, color, and orientation. 

In this case, the industrial aspects are most obvious in the stainless steel appliances and cabinetry which is rather unusual. This is clearly a professional grade kitchen belonging to someone who is also a fan of MCM designs. 

Lighting: All of the lighting is completely hidden in this room, but you can be sure there is all that is necessary for a chef’s kitchen. 

Flooring: Keeping up with the marriage of industrial and mid century modern aesthetics here by using gorgeous stone tiling but in a dramatic black shade. This is elegant yet rustic, and the perfect choice for an area that gets a lot of use. 

Wall Decor: We don’t see much by way of wall art, but what we do receive is that burst of MCM warmth thanks to using wood panelling for the walls, made all the more dramatic by lining the room with black framing. 

Windows: Who needs windows when you can just have an entire wall made from sliding doors? Here again we receive some MCM inspiration: bringing the outdoors in. 

Do yourself a favor and click to see the rest of this home here.

2. The Earthen MCM Kitchen

Layout: This has to be my favorite of the collection. This is an amazingly generously sized kitchen area with a back wall layout that comes into an L, and a corresponding kitchen island. We have a little breakfast bar set off of the island but also a designated seating area that looks like it’s built right off of the end of the L counter. 

Furniture & Appliances: All of the cabinetry work is clearly custom here, as it provides us with some stunning white cabinets with cleverly hidden handles, and a camouflage refrigerator and shelving on the back wall. The stone cabinets set above just really bring the entire space to another level. 

The built in breakfast nook is cheeky and adorable, while the custom wooden table built off of the kitchen counter with peach colored chairs are simply to die. 

Lighting: While we have our standard pot lights for utility, we also see featured a stunning caged light fixture made from brass which goes beautifully with the stone cabinets.

Flooring: Though it’s simple as can be, this stunning lightly stained wood flooring makes such a statement. This color reminds me a bit of sand, and this particular shade compliments the room splendidly. 

Wall Decor: With a room this expertly designed, you don’t really need to do any spicing up. The cabinets and shelving do all the work themselves. 

Windows: Thanks to the open concept design of the entire home, we receive natural light from the floor to ceiling windows that are present on the other side of the house. 

This incredible space was designed by: Stonehouse Bespoke Kitchens.

Here’s a different angle of the kitchen for you to really fall in love with. 

3. The Japanese Inspired MCM Kitchen

Layout: It’s a little bit tricky to pin point what about this room feels Japanese inspired, but I think it’s the overall feel of the room and the layout it has. It has clean lines, open spaces, and a large windows that take over the entire space. We have a combination of an L shaped and galley style kitchen, giving you tons of space. 

Furniture & Appliances: Another aspect of this room that feels Japanese inspired is that particular type of wood used for the cabinets. A lighter color that almost blends in to the countertops themselves. I particularly love how the majority of the appliances are completely hidden from view. 

Lighting: We see lighting in all of the places that it should be: hidden in the ceiling and set away in the hood vent. Not showy, but providing the exact right amount of light to get all of your prepping done properly. 

Flooring: Though it’s rather unusual to see hardwood flooring in kitchens, I love it every time that I see it. This gorgeous and rustic shade pairs so well with all of the neutral tones of the room, it almost turns it into a pop of color when in reality, it’s just another neutral color!

Wall Decor: Though we catch just a glimpse of it, we have a stunning accent wall that isn’t using color to create a statement, but texture. It’s almost like a sand dune texture lining the wall to the left to bring a little something extra to the space.

Another very special feature of the space is the incorporation of plants in the kitchen. Though it may seem odd, I love adding plants to kitchen areas especially when they have such huge windows. It just adds a bit of freshness and life, which is very characteristic of MCM designs! 

Windows: These windows are working wonders here, filling every possible inch of what could be wall with window. 

This beautiful kitchen design is courtesy of Trulia.

4. The Quaint MCM Kitchen

Layout: A very simple lay out with this kitchen with a back wall feature and a very generously sized kitchen island. This gives a very open and airy feeling, and also provides the correct amount of counter space and storage space underneath.

Furniture & Appliances: We have a very simple aesthetic here with wooden cabinetry, white countertops for contrast, and stainless steel appliances. I particularly love how the stove top is built in to the kitchen island. 

Lighting: We have simple recessed pot lights lining the ceiling to ensure you have just the right amount to complete all of your cooking tasks. 

Flooring: Something I really appreciate about this room is how the wood used for the flooring is almost an identical shade to the wood used for the cabinets. This brings about a fantastic cohesion and symmetry to the room, which is super duper MCM inspired. 

Wall Decor: Though not present in the kitchen itself, we see some fun pieces of art present in the other rooms of the home. I find that the kitchen is often a place where the room speaks for itself, and doesn’t need that much added flare.

Windows: The window in this room is almost a piece of art in itself. A floor to ceiling window with tall and glorious bamboo shoots directly on the other side do the job of bringing the outside in, and also adds an incredible pop of freshness to the space. 

This incredible room design is courtesy of Trulia.

5. The Different MCM Kitchen

Layout: A wonderfully simple layout here with a feature back wall and a large kitchen island set off of it. This room feels super open thanks to the high ceilings and skylight windows, and since it is set off of the main living area as well. 

Furniture & Appliances: It’s rather unusual to see an entire kitchen that has a very delicate sea-foam color theme to it, but I think it works so incredibly well here. Using a subtle but still impactful color like this allows you to relax a bit with the other features, as this type of color elevates the entire space.

State of the art stainless steel appliances bring some modernity to the space, while the matching fridge to the sea foam cabinets bring it back to vintage. This space is modern yet sleek, fun yet functional. 

Lighting: While we see the functional recessed pot lights in the ceiling, there is a bit more moody lighting that is set underneath the upper cabinets. These serve for function, but also serve to bring a warmer light to an otherwise cooler toned room. 

Flooring: Very classic and cool cement flooring here that acts as a great undertone for the other kitchen colors. 

Wall Decor: We don’t see much wall decor here, but I think that’s because the fun color used for the kitchen really speaks for itself. Additionally, personal effects found across the room provide that kitschy element that always makes a home feel inviting. 

Windows: Plenty of windows in this beautiful kitchen showing a landscape view, and some upper tier windows acting as skylights. 

See more of this home here, with designs by Trulia.

6. The Heavenly MCM Kitchen 

Layout: This has to be one of the most amazing kitchens I’ve ever seen. It has such a unique layout with the main L feature of the kitchen facing a floor to ceiling window, a kitchen island facing the most adorable little breakfast nook, and a camouflaged double refrigerator on the back wall. 

Furniture & Appliances: Everything in this kitchen is clearly customized for the warm, peach colored wood to match the beautiful exposed wood beams on the ceiling. All of the furniture here is so gorgeously simple, and it’s just waiting to be filled by your loved ones. 

Lighting: While the light is coming from hidden pot lights, so much of the lightness of this room just comes from the fact that all of the features are so warm and bright. Any light coming from any direction refracts off of the light countertops, white couch, and light flooring. 

Flooring: I simply adore wood flooring that is stained in this light shade. It reminds me of the color of sand, and that’s something I would always like to be reminded of in my home. This light flooring really just hits home the heavenly feel that this room provides. 

Wall Decor: Not much is needed by way of wall decor in this room, as the wooden beams and huge windows make such a big impact. Though we do see some fun little framed pieces in the corners to add a little personal flare.

Windows: Floor to ceiling windows are always welcome in my home. This is such a great way to incorporate light, and to make it feel like the outdoors is seeping in. 

Take a gander at the rest of this house here, with the design from TopTenRealEstateDeals.

7. The Simplicity MCM Kitchen 

Layout: Finishing off this wonderful collection with a super open concept layout. A large L shaped kitchen with a huge island in the centre provides all of the counter and storage space that one could possibly need. 

Furniture & Appliances: We’ve got some industrial flare here with stainless steel appliances and truly gorgeous wood cabinetry that resembles teak – staying true to that mid-century modern aesthetic. I particularly love how the same wood stain is used for the wood framing in the rest of the home. 

Lighting: You’ve got all of the lighting you could ever need in this space with pot lights in the ceiling and under the hood vent, as well as some little cheeky pendant lights for personality. 

Flooring: I think that this stain of hardwood for the flooring was such a smart choice to offset the darkness of the cabinets and to brighten up the room. 

Wall Decor: You needn’t need much wall decor with such beautiful windows and a beautiful scene outside.

Windows: I simply adore the the kitchen is set off of a corner window situation, with sliding doors on the other side. 

Check out the remainder of this home here, with the design courtesy of Architectural Designs.

A Little More About the Mid-Century Modern Aesthetic… 

Mid-century modern designs allowed interior designers and furniture makers to be creative in their use of material and color. Their designs were considered futuristic at the time and may have been heavily influenced by science fiction novels and movies, which were very popular during the mid-1900s. Here are some of the mid-century kitchen ideas you can use in your home.

Mid-century interior designs become popular around the late 1930s to the mid-1960s. The design style features clean lines, geometric shapes, and a mixture of organic and synthetic materials. As more synthetics were invented by chemical companies, they became widely used in furnishings and construction materials during the mid-20^th century.

Mid-Century Materials

Even though wood was still a popular material for construction and furnishings, the development of synthetics like nylon, polypropylene, and plastic laminate changed how things were made. Formica, which is a brand name for plastic laminate, began using it to build counter and tabletops. Chrome dining sets with Formica tabletops and vinyl covered chairs are typical of mid-century designs.

Some people use laminate in their kitchens today, but it isn’t very popular. In a recent kitchen survey, only 15, 919 kitchens 616, 632 had laminate in them. This lack of use is reflective of the use of mid-century designs since only 0.77% of over 1.78 million kitchens have this design style.

Organic wood furniture is reflective of the mid-century as most furnishings were created from oak, walnut, rosewood, and teak. Its style is very distinctive because many of the wood pieces were boxy.

This shape was in juxtaposition to many chairs, light shades, and other accessories, which were curvy, or rounded. Chairs were often made from curvy metal or plastic frames, padded seating and metal bases.

Warm Earth Tones

To further imitate mid-century designs, a variety of color should be instrumental in the kitchen. White and black kitchens are reflective of mid-century kitchens, but warm citrus colors like warm yellow, orange, olive green, and chartreuse are found in mid-century homes.

Minimalistic Style

Mid-century designs are also well-known for their minimalist appearance. Everything always appears clean, neat, and there is very little clutter on counters, tables, and minimal art or decorations on the walls.

Some of the fun of decorating in a mid-century style is finding vintage or retro-style pieces in antique or second-hand stores for your kitchen.