Mid-century Makeovers: Ideas to Steal From Stylish '60s Homes
Take a look at these clever ideas that are sympathetic to the original style of these 1960s homes
Amanda Pollard
18 July 2018
Senior Editor at Houzz UK and Ireland. Journalist and editor specialising in interiors and architecture.
Senior Editor at Houzz UK and Ireland. Journalist and editor specialising in interiors... More
With their wide windows, clean lines and minimal aesthetic, mid-century homes are a fantastic blank canvas for renovating and decorating. But where do you start, how do you add character and, most importantly, how do you ensure your design is sympathetic to the original modernist style of the property?
Take a look at how these designers have done it, and grab some ideas for your own home.
Take a look at how these designers have done it, and grab some ideas for your own home.
Go for retro hues
If you’re wondering what colour scheme to go for in your 1960s home, take inspiration from the building itself. Deborah Moor and Caroline Nicholls of Slightly Quirky, who designed the interior of this 1960s Span house, did just that.
“For the colour palette, we looked back at the hues of the 1960s – earthy tones such as olive, red and orange – for inspiration,” says Moor. “The wallpaper is seagrass, inspired by the hessian wallpapers of the era.”
Behind the scenes with a colour consultant
If you’re wondering what colour scheme to go for in your 1960s home, take inspiration from the building itself. Deborah Moor and Caroline Nicholls of Slightly Quirky, who designed the interior of this 1960s Span house, did just that.
“For the colour palette, we looked back at the hues of the 1960s – earthy tones such as olive, red and orange – for inspiration,” says Moor. “The wallpaper is seagrass, inspired by the hessian wallpapers of the era.”
Behind the scenes with a colour consultant
Add a feeling of flow
Another key element in the design of this Span house was the creation of an open feel. The designers took advantage of the lack of building restrictions to make some structural changes, including swapping full-height walls for half-height ones and squaring off archways.
The opening here was squared off and framed with plywood to create a clean, modern look.
Another key element in the design of this Span house was the creation of an open feel. The designers took advantage of the lack of building restrictions to make some structural changes, including swapping full-height walls for half-height ones and squaring off archways.
The opening here was squared off and framed with plywood to create a clean, modern look.
Here, too, the Slightly Quirky designers have removed the original door to the hallway and added a full-height sliding pocket door to create a larger opening.
Restore the windows
If the windows in your 1960s property aren’t in good condition, or aren’t in keeping with the rest of the house, it’s worth replacing them. In this 1960s modernist home, the designers at Holt Construction replaced all the windows in the house with oak frames.
“This was probably the biggest challenge,” says designer James Holt, “as the double-glazed windows were bespoke, made to be in keeping with the modernist style and to match the other houses on the estate.”
If the windows in your 1960s property aren’t in good condition, or aren’t in keeping with the rest of the house, it’s worth replacing them. In this 1960s modernist home, the designers at Holt Construction replaced all the windows in the house with oak frames.
“This was probably the biggest challenge,” says designer James Holt, “as the double-glazed windows were bespoke, made to be in keeping with the modernist style and to match the other houses on the estate.”
Make it open-plan
The kitchen and dining room in the 1960s home Holt Construction redesigned were originally located either side of the hallway at the front of the property. Rather than moving the kitchen to the back of the house, the team knocked through the hallway to create an open-plan living space instead. To achieve this, they also moved the stairs from the central area to a side wall.
The kitchen and dining room in the 1960s home Holt Construction redesigned were originally located either side of the hallway at the front of the property. Rather than moving the kitchen to the back of the house, the team knocked through the hallway to create an open-plan living space instead. To achieve this, they also moved the stairs from the central area to a side wall.
Inject character with flooring
The redesign of this dated 1960s terrace by Studio Wolter Navarro is simple and minimal, but the wooden chevron-patterned floor adds warmth and character.
The oak floorboards are a little lighter than the original Brazilian cedar parquet (see the next photo), which gives the room a bright, airy feel.
The redesign of this dated 1960s terrace by Studio Wolter Navarro is simple and minimal, but the wooden chevron-patterned floor adds warmth and character.
The oak floorboards are a little lighter than the original Brazilian cedar parquet (see the next photo), which gives the room a bright, airy feel.
Architect Almudena Navarro says, “While the floor was interesting, there’d been some moisture issues and it would have taken a lot of our budget to properly restore it.
“The owner kept every piece and sold it to someone who was going to use it in their house, which was nice,” he adds.
“The owner kept every piece and sold it to someone who was going to use it in their house, which was nice,” he adds.
Enlarge the front porch
Some 1960s houses have a storage shed, accessed from outside, where the original owners would have stored coal. If you don’t need this area, you could make the most of it by turning it into an internal space.
The storage shed on this ex-council property, to the right of the front door, had already been converted when the current owners bought it, but it was quite narrow and had a low ceiling.
Architect Frederik Rissom of R2 Studio Architects, who owns the property with his wife, Emily, says, “It was cold and cramped, with a narrow entrance porch and a 1.9 metre ceiling height. Being almost 2 metres tall, this really didn’t work for me in particular.”
The couple got round this by enlarging the space by six square metres and extending upwards to match the ceiling height of the rest of the ground floor. They needed planning permission to do this, and they kept the design sympathetic by matching the existing concrete feature lintels on the outside.
Some 1960s houses have a storage shed, accessed from outside, where the original owners would have stored coal. If you don’t need this area, you could make the most of it by turning it into an internal space.
The storage shed on this ex-council property, to the right of the front door, had already been converted when the current owners bought it, but it was quite narrow and had a low ceiling.
Architect Frederik Rissom of R2 Studio Architects, who owns the property with his wife, Emily, says, “It was cold and cramped, with a narrow entrance porch and a 1.9 metre ceiling height. Being almost 2 metres tall, this really didn’t work for me in particular.”
The couple got round this by enlarging the space by six square metres and extending upwards to match the ceiling height of the rest of the ground floor. They needed planning permission to do this, and they kept the design sympathetic by matching the existing concrete feature lintels on the outside.
The new space is open and bright, with room for a studio, cloakroom and utility area. The entrance can accommodate a pram, scooters, school bags and other essentials.
Reinstate original features
Just as they’d reinstated the concrete lintel around their new porch, Frederik and Emily Rissom were keen to restore other features in the property.
These original 1960s open-riser stairs were “painstakingly refurbished”, while the concrete shelf above the sofa was exposed and sealed.
TELL US
Is mid-century your style? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments section.
MORE
10 Ways to Pull Off Mid-century Style in the Bedroom
Just as they’d reinstated the concrete lintel around their new porch, Frederik and Emily Rissom were keen to restore other features in the property.
These original 1960s open-riser stairs were “painstakingly refurbished”, while the concrete shelf above the sofa was exposed and sealed.
TELL US
Is mid-century your style? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments section.
MORE
10 Ways to Pull Off Mid-century Style in the Bedroom
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Just beautiful
Hi! A lot of 60's dwellings were apartments and placed a premium on the design issues your article discusses - open plan, free-flowing spaces and some terrifically large balcony windows. Plus great mosaic style wet area tiling, lots of storage space and oriental-inspired etched shower screens.
The 60's houses are to die for, the apartments can be as equally modernist
I live in a 1960's bungalow and it is solidly built, spacious, airy. I now know to draw inspiration from the beautiful pattern of unusual brickwork outside, which is a mixture of bluey greys and browns. Originally there were a huge windows but somewhere along the way someone decided to take out the big feature windows and put in normal size ones. Guess where I am going......I'm going for a full size feature window in the front of the house and a double door at the back where they have both been bricked up half way. Because the house has an undercroft I am thinking of two floating patios to connect the house with the garden more. Anyone heard of a floating patio?