If you’ve walked into any store that sells furniture or flipped on HGTV for more than 30 seconds you may have noticed a trend has started to dominate the design world. Mid-century modern started making its come back a few years ago, and now it’s the peak.

The term mid-century modern refers to a design style popped in the early 40’s and lasted till the late 60’s. It influenced products, architecture, fashion, and of course furniture. This style is characterized by clean lines, simple forms, functionality, chic style, and organic designs.

Mid-century Modern never really went away entirely. You could always find a quiet hint of it here and there. Today it’s less of a quiet hint and more glaringly obvious.

Design trends always come back in some sort of a cycle, but this one has made a stronger comeback than most. The question is why?

Nostalgia

Baby Boomers were in the prime of their life when mid-mod had its first go around, and now a lot of them are downsizing and longing for simpler times. As they search for new furniture (that doesn’t need to be baby-proof anymore) they want to find something familiar.

This kind of nostalgia is a huge reason mid-mod has been so successful. Baby Boomers are buying it up like they bought bellbottoms in the 60s.

Simple

Mid-mod always prided itself on being clean and simple, and simplicity never goes out of style. Unlike the Victorian or French Country, mid-mod doesn’t have a lot of fluff or flare. Instead mid-mod is functional and uncomplicated.

Mixing

Because it’s so simple and clean, mid-mod mixes well with other styles. Take industrial for example. The raw materials like reclaimed wood and cast iron that are popular with industrial pair seamlessly with shapes and lines of mid-mod.

Mad Men

We’re not joking. The show ran for 7 seasons and put mid-mod style center stage. Besides the inevitable lung cancer and liver failure, who wouldn’t want to live Don Draper?