You don’t have to take on costly renovations—or relocate to sunny Palm Springs—to capture the iconic Mid-Century Modern look in your home.

With just a few creative shortcuts and design hacks, bringing the fun of MCM design into your space is simple. Let’s explore 10 hacks to get you started.

What Are Mid Century Modern Hacks?

Mid-century modern "hacks" refer to quick, budget-friendly, and inventive ways of creating the mid-mod interior designs of your dreams. This style is known for clean lines and an airy feel, but it also plays with geometric shapes and spunky color palettes. The DIY possibilities are endless!

10 Mid Century Modern Hacks for Every Home

1. Swap Out Your Hardware

One of the easiest DIY updates you can make is switching out your existing hardware. Replace ordinary cabinet knobs, drawer pulls, or door handles with MCM-inspired options in brass, walnut, or matte black.

This subtle change immediately adds personality and authentic mid-mod flair to your kitchen and bathrooms.

Cabinet Knobs	Drawer Pulls	Door Handles

 

⭐ Styling Tip: If replacing the hardware in your home isn’t an option, try wrapping appliance handle covers around your fridge, oven, and microwave handles.

2. Add Spunky Light Switch Plates

Are your white, beige, or gray walls in dire need of some color? Replace your light switch plates with classic mid-mod designs! From iconic Palm Springs design for your porch light switch and simple aqua blue starbursts for your bathrooms, to a moody bourbon design for your basement bar, there are plenty of designs to fit every mid-mod space.

3. Update Your Lampshades

Another light-based hack: swapping out standard lampshades for shades with mid-mod designs is easy-peasy.

While you can find globe, cone, or Sputnik-style light fixtures, sometimes finding just a lampshade in a mid-mod print you love is the easier route to go.

For example, if you don’t want to buy an entirely new light fixture, but you have a chandelier you’re looking to update with mid-mod flair, cylindrical glass lampshades with geometric diamonds might be the perfect option for you.

4. Stick to a Mid-Mod Color Palette

One of our simplest but most essential hacks: really lean into your dream mid-mod color palette. This style is so versatile in its shade range, and it’s fun figuring out which mid-century modern color variations are your favorite.

Embrace a bright palette of teal, mustard yellow, orange, or lean warmer with olive green, walnut brown, and cream.

You can add these shades through affordable accessories like throw pillows, coasters, and curtains.

Throw Pillows	Coasters	Curtains

5. Style with Starbursts or Atomic Cats

Starbursts and Atomic Cat designs are quintessential mid-century modern, so don’t leave them out of your home decor!

Place a floor lamp with an Atomic Cat design in the corner of your living room, or hang a bright and bold Starburst wall clock in your entryway to greet guests—especially the late ones!

Throw blankets, pillows, rugs, table runners, and even oven mitts with Starburst and Atomic Cat designs echo mid-century's fascination with space and futuristic optimism. And they are easy, budget-friendly ways to bring small touches of mid-mod into your home.

Atomic Cat Collection	Starburst Designs

6. Embrace Open Space

Homes designed with mid-century architecture are open and airy. Even if you don’t live in a classic mid-mod house, keeping rooms uncrowded can help bring a sense of open airiness into your home. Allow furniture and decor pieces to breathe.

7. Keep it Functional

Just like open space is a staple of mid-mod design, functionality is also a key feature. Make sure your new kitchen knobs are comfortable to hold and in your preferred finish.

Place an Atomic Cat table lamp on your nightstand for easy access from your bed, or add a Starburst nightlight to your kid’s room for comfort.

With whatever decor you choose, make sure the items are as practical as they are decorative.

Table Lamps	Night Lights

8. MCM Art in Vintage Frames

There are tons of amazing wall art pieces that perfectly exude mid-mod character. From cocktails and Atomic Cats to geometric patterns with funny quotes, there are plenty of options to browse.

But the trick to creating the perfect mid-mod space is to balance the old with the new.

To do this, simply place abstract art in vintage frames. You can visit thrift stores, flea markets, and estate sales to find the perfect frames for your brand-new abstract art.

9. Anchor Your Space with a Retro Rug

Don’t forget area rugs!

A rug instantly defines a space, and choosing one with geometric or atomic-inspired designs effortlessly carries mid-century style into your modern home.

Even small circular rugs, welcome mats, and patio rugs can create defined areas for reading nooks, entryways, or conversation corners.

10. Start Small

Now that you have so much info to proceed with, you might be inspired, excited, or slightly overwhelmed (maybe all three!). So, our final hack is to start small.

Begin your mid-mod journey by incorporating just one or two new pieces into your space. Keep things gradual to make sure everything is chosen with intention, and that each new addition will mesh well with your cabinet knobs, lampshades, or other first purchases.

You can still have fun while starting small!

Ready, Set, Decorate

Bringing iconic mid-century modern flair into your home doesn’t require extensive renovations or significant expenses—it just takes a few simple hacks.

Whenever you’re ready to start your MCM updates, check out Mid Century Modern Gal for ideas!