From Homes and Gardens · · 1m 50s
Billy Joel's 1978 living room, decoded
Archival photos of the Piano Man's Oyster Bay glass house show mid-century modern is about editing, not spending.
In brief
Archival photos of the Piano Man's Oyster Bay glass house show mid-century modern is about editing, not spending. Mid-century modern comes from a few well-chosen wood and leather pieces, not a room full of them. Originally reported by Homes and Gardens.
Not the version you picture
Mid-century modern reads as sweeping wood-panelled rooms and pricey curved furniture. The real thing is far more reachable than that.
Oyster Bay, 1978
Archival shots of Billy Joel's Long Island glass house show a living room built from a handful of pieces: a wooden plant stand, a sideboard, a leather sofa, a piano.
Shag against wood grain
A shag carpet underfoot softens all that timber, while gauzy curtains stay out of the way so the big angular windows can do the talking.
Wood is the whole trick
The sideboard, plant stand and piano carry the room. Natural wood stays a designer favourite because it works in any house, in any decade.
“Endlessly versatile and utterly timeless, wood really does suit every home.”
Pick your grain
Barker and Stonehouse's Magdalena Gierasinska suggests burl for a bold marbled look, weathered wood for coastal calm, or knotty tables for English classic.
Start with the sofa
A black top-grain leather sofa with fine stitching gives you the mid-century silhouette in one buy. A woven black leather cushion is the cheap way in.
Layer the soft stuff
An ultra-soft white shag rug grounds a wood scheme for very little money, and cream semi-sheer linen curtains keep a pared-back room from feeling cold.
Somewhere for the records
Joel filled the room with music. A mid-century record storage console does the same job, and styles happily with objects if you own no vinyl.
Choose better, not more
This is the opposite of maximalism. One sculptural chair or a curved lamp with a soft glow can set the tone for a whole room.
“The essence of mid-century homes isn't in decorating more, it's in choosing better.”
In short
Mid-century modern comes from a few well-chosen wood and leather pieces, not a room full of them.
