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MID-CENTURY MODEST:
Peak into another era
MIDCENTURY MODERN? MIDCENTURY MODEST!
Often modern homebuyers describe the style of their desired home as “Looking for Midcentury Modern” when it’s “Midcentury Modest” that should be on the tip of our tongues! Midcentury modest homes were built and designed from 1945 into the 1960s.
In most cases, Midcentury Modest is the style of home you’ll be viewing here in Ontario. Homes under this newly coined title are true-to-expectation, and unique. These homes were built for living in, and really making yours.
Lots of modern style inspiration comes from the designs through this time, but we’re not seeing it through the lens of the designers of the time, but through the modern-day appropriation from today’s designers (It seems we are always recycling old trends with a new tag-line title).
But with recycling styles, we often forget the people of the original time and how this style suited the way they were living.
The reality is that the vast Midcentury homes built were in no way pretentious, like some style trends designated to the age might hint. Having been built in a restricted economy, these made for well-loved + lived-in homes.
WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE >>>
Remember, these were built starting roughly Post War; 1945, and ending somewhere in the ‘60s. These weren’t quite like living on the sets of Mad Men or The Crown. What you’re most likely to find, assuming renovation hasn't already changed the scene, is a whole lot of knotty pine paneling (pro-tip: turning it horizontally makes it look akin to the popular shiplap style used today), wacky wallpaper, and wagon-wheel lights (beware: could be wagon-wheel EVERYTHING!!), pastel bathrooms and plaster walls.
COMING WITH AN ADDED BONUS: Mostly found in mature areas, residents benefit from the harder-and-harder to find large yard spaces with lots of trees. When you view these homes, you are peeking into a different time and lifestyle than what is common today. Families lived close and tight together. Shared bathrooms were the norm, and decor was very, shall we say, ‘By-The-Owner’, displaying trinkets and items often unique in meaning to them. Small, but solidly built with memories attached. Midcentury Modest allows you to create your own style, in both your home and life. Isn’t that the most modern of all?
All photos from Pinterest. Visit my MidcenturyModest-style board for more inspiration.
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