What makes a rug mid-century modern

A mid-century modern rug, often shortened to MCM, borrows the look of design from roughly the mid-1940s to the late 1960s: simple, organic shapes, playful abstraction, clean lines and a warm palette of mustard, burnt orange, teal, olive and walnut brown on cream. It's the rug that belongs under a walnut sideboard, a molded plywood lounge chair or a low, tapered-leg sofa. Ours are printed edge to edge on soft velvet, so every shape stays crisp and every color stays true, and the whole rug goes in your washing machine.

A short history of mid-century modern

After the Second World War, designers in the United States and Scandinavia set out to make modern design for everyday homes: lighter, simpler, more optimistic. Charles and Ray Eames experimented with molded plywood and fiberglass, and their lounge chair of 1956 became an icon. Eero Saarinen's pedestal tables and chairs swept away the "slum of legs" under tables. George Nelson's clocks and furniture brought a sense of humor to modernism, and Alexander Girard filled homes with bold, joyful textiles. In Scandinavia, designers like Arne Jacobsen and Hans Wegner made warm, sculptural furniture in wood, and in Finland, Marimekko's big, bright prints became a symbol of the 1960s. The term "mid-century modern" itself was popularized decades later, in the 1980s, as collectors rediscovered the era. It has never really gone out of style since.

Design motifs

Motif	What it looks like	Feels like
Atomic starbursts	Spiky stars and sputnik shapes, inspired by the space age	Playful, optimistic, 1950s
Boomerangs and kidney shapes	Curved, organic forms scattered across a field	Relaxed, retro, cocktail-lounge
Arches and offset circles	Overlapping half-moons and rounds	Soft, modern, a little Bauhaus
Abstract color blocks	Large, simple shapes in a few warm colors	Artistic, gallery-like
Linear and Scandinavian	Fine lines, stripes and simple grids	Calm, Danish modern
Bold flowers	Big, simplified blooms in the style of 1960s prints	Cheerful, 60s

The mid-century palette

The colors are what make a rug read as mid-century at a glance. The classics are mustard yellow, burnt orange, teal, olive and avocado green, rust, chocolate brown and cream, often with a little black for definition. A rug in two or three of these colors on a cream ground looks right at home with walnut and teak furniture. If your room is mostly neutral, a rug is the easiest way to bring in that palette without repainting anything.

Atomic and space-age designs

The 1950s were the atomic age, the years of the first satellites and the dream of space travel, and design reflected it: starbursts, orbits, boomerangs and sputnik shapes appeared on everything from clocks to countertops. An atomic-inspired rug, scattered starbursts in black, mustard and teal on cream, is the most playful mid-century style, perfect for a retro lounge, a bar corner or a room with a vintage record player. For more space-themed designs, see our space rugs.

Arches, circles and abstraction

Mid-century art loved simple, overlapping shapes: half-moons, offset circles, soft rectangles and arches, arranged like a painting. An abstract mid-century rug in this style looks like modern art on the floor, and it's the most versatile choice for a contemporary room that leans mid-century without being a period piece. It pairs beautifully with a plain sofa, a few ceramics and a single large plant.

Scandinavian and Danish modern

Scandinavian mid-century design is quieter: pale woods, simple forms and textiles with fine lines and gentle geometry. In the 1950s and 60s, Scandinavian rya rugs, long-pile rugs with abstract patterns, were a common sight in modern homes. Our Scandinavian-inspired designs keep the calm, linear look, thin stripes, simple grids and soft color blocks in muted tones, and suit rooms with light wood, white walls and lots of natural light.

Into the 70s

As the 1960s turned into the 1970s, the mid-century look grew warmer, earthier and rounder: chocolate brown, burnt orange, harvest gold and avocado green, big curves, supergraphic stripes and shaggy textures. A 70s rug, with bold arches or wide curving stripes in those colors, brings a cozy, retro feel to a living room or a den. For more from that decade, see our retro rugs and wavy rugs.

In the living room

The living room is where a mid-century rug shines. Place it under the front legs of the sofa and lounge chairs, so it ties the seating group together, with a coffee table in the middle. A 5×7 ft rug is our largest standard size and suits most mid-century living rooms, which tend to have lower, more compact furniture; for a longer seating area, a custom size up to 5′11″ × 10′ covers more floor. For the softest feel underfoot, choose Premium, 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, about 700 g/m². Our living room rugs page has more layouts.

In the bedroom

A mid-century bedroom, with a low platform bed, a walnut dresser and a globe pendant light, looks best with a rug that echoes the room's simplicity. A 4×6 or 5×7 ft rug under the lower half of the bed, or a 2.6×3.9 ft rug beside it, adds warmth without clutter. Our bedroom rugs page has more ideas.

Dining rooms and offices

Under a round pedestal dining table, a round mid-century rug, from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across, echoes the table's shape and frames the chairs. In a home office with a classic mid-century desk, a geometric or linear rug defines the work space. Under a desk chair, choose Standard: 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back, about 500 g/m², which stays put and lets wheels roll freely. Our round rugs page shows each round size in a room.

Hallways and entryways

A narrow mid-century runner, with simple stripes or a row of atomic stars, gives a hallway a cheerful, retro welcome. Our standard sizes are rectangular, but a custom size lets you order a long, narrow rug up to 10 ft long to fit your hallway exactly. Inside the front door, a 2×3 or 2.6×3.9 ft Standard rug grips the floor.

Pairing with mid-century furniture

• Walnut and teak: choose cream-based rugs with mustard, orange or teal accents, so the wood stays the star.
• Molded chairs in bright colors: choose a quieter, neutral-based rug that picks up one of their colors.
• Leather lounge chairs: warm rust, brown and olive rugs feel rich and cozy.
• White and chrome: bold, high-contrast designs in black, white and a single strong color.

Plants, ceramics and light

Mid-century rooms were designed to feel open and connected to the outdoors, with big windows, low furniture and plenty of plants. A mid-century rug looks its best in that kind of room: a tall fiddle-leaf fig or a snake plant in a ceramic pot, a globe or tripod floor lamp, and a few pieces of studio pottery on a low sideboard. Keep surfaces simple and let the rug supply the pattern.

Mixing with other styles

Mid-century modern mixes well with Scandinavian, boho and contemporary styles, and with art deco when you want a little more glamour. For related designs, see our geometric rugs, art deco rugs and checkered rugs, and the full range of abstract and modern rugs.

Printed versus woven

Original mid-century rugs were woven or tufted, and vintage pieces in good condition are rare and expensive. Printing lets us reproduce the era's crisp shapes and exact colors on a soft rug you can wash at home, at a fraction of the cost. The trade-off is a smoother, lower pile than a thick wool or shag rug. If you love the look and want something practical for everyday life, printed velvet is the better fit.

Your own palette

Want a mid-century design in colors matched to your sofa, your chairs or a favorite vintage print? Our custom rugs can print it in any size up to 5′11″ × 10′, or as a round rug up to 5.9 ft (180 cm). Custom rugs are made just for you and can't be returned.

Standard or Premium

Standard is best for hallways, entryways, dining rooms, offices and anywhere with a hard or slippery floor, because its non-slip back stays put. Premium is softer and warmer, best in living rooms and bedrooms. Both are printed the same way, so the colors stay warm and the shapes stay crisp, and both go in the washing machine.

Sizes, shipping and returns

Rectangles come in 2×3, 2.6×3.9, 3.3×5, 4×6 and 5×7 ft. Round rugs come from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across. Custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′. We don't make 8×10 rugs. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that. Unused rugs can be returned within 30 days on US orders; custom rugs can't be returned.

Care

Machine wash on a gentle, cold cycle and let it air dry flat. Vacuum on a low setting between washes, and blot spills with cold water right away. The design is printed into the fibers, so the mustard stays golden and the teal stays deep, wash after wash.

The designers who defined the era

Mid-century modern is closely tied to a handful of designers. Charles and Ray Eames, a husband-and-wife team in Los Angeles, created the molded plywood chairs and the leather Lounge Chair of 1956. Eero Saarinen designed the Tulip chair and table on a single pedestal, and George Nelson gave the era its famous ball clock. In Denmark, Arne Jacobsen designed the Egg chair in 1958, and Hans Wegner made more than five hundred chairs, many of them carved from solid wood.

Textiles mattered too. Alexander Girard, who led the textile division at the furniture maker Herman Miller, brought bold, joyful patterns inspired by folk art from Mexico, India and beyond: stripes, diamonds, suns and small geometric figures in hot pink, orange and turquoise.

A rug can honor that spirit without copying any single piece. A pattern of simple folk-inspired shapes in Girard-like brights suits a living room with walnut furniture. Soft boomerangs and starbursts in mustard and teal recall the playful shapes of 1950s textiles, and a calm Scandinavian design of thin lines and muted colors sits beautifully under a teak sideboard.

For collectors of vintage furniture, choosing a rug with the right palette, warm wood tones, orange, olive, mustard and cream, helps the pieces shine without competing with them.