10 Timeless Mid-Century Modern Paint Colors for a Retro-Chic Look
Draw your design inspiration from this iconic era
Going retro is all the rage, especially when it comes to choosing the next color scheme for your walls. Mid-century modern paint colors like ochre, olive green, and brick red may lend themselves to a retro feel, but they’re also hip with the times. The past few years have seen a resurgence in people decking out their homes in mid-century modern style (and for good reason). This post-World War II design period played with sleek lines, innovative architecture, and lots and lots of color.
Mid-century modern color schemes include a range of earth tones, soft whites, and blues with vibrant pops of color (often reds and oranges). Check out ten of the most popular mid-century modern paint colors to see what might work for your taste and space. When you’ve made up your mind, you can get ready to DIY by learning how to paint your walls or call a local interior painter to do it for you.
1. Ochre
The gold standard of this golden age of design, ochre is one of the most popular mid-century modern paint colors. It’s also commonly found in fabric and linens from this era.
Ochre, which is a naturally occurring mineral, is the oldest known pigment in the world and is perfectly poised to work in a variety of spaces. This color offers a range of effects, from a calm, muted tan to a vibrant yellow. It also pairs well with red and orange pops of color, whether that’s an accent wall or bold furniture, like an orange chair.
For inspiration:
Dunn-Edwards Alameda Ochre
Benjamin Moore® Palace Ochre
Backdrop Pablo Honey
Benjamin Moore® Autumn Gold
Benjamin Moore® Turmeric
2. Olive Green
For the DIYer who loves color, olive green is fun to play with in any space. It creates a striking and mellow backdrop to show off original artwork or unique pieces of furniture passed down through the generations. This earthy, natural tone creates a calm ambience that can ground the room. As with popular paint colors in modern homes, it meshes well with a variety of other bright colors.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Relentless Olive
Backdrop Drive-Thru Safari
Farrow & Ball Sap Green
Benjamin Moore® Split Pea
Farrow & Ball Acid Drop
3. Golden Yellow
The sunshiney nature of yellows made this a popular paint color in the ’50s and ’60s. From more golden shades to mustard, yellows are a playful complement to the muted olive greens and ochres that defined mid-century design.
Use brighter shades of this energizing hue in an office area, creative space, or playroom. A pop of yellow can also bring sunshine into a space that rarely sees the actual sun. Alternatively, more muted yellow tones can be calming, especially when paired with other relaxing colors.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Midday
BEHR® Yellow Gold
Farrow & Ball Corngold
Sherwin-Williams Cheerful
PPG Wright Mustard
4. Burnt Orange
Capitalizing on the playfulness of the mid-century era, people often used burnt orange in wallpapers, furniture upholstery, and rugs (shag, naturally). To the casual DIY painter, orange can seem overwhelming if used on all four walls of a room, so if you’re not sure how much to use, consider it for an accent wall. Then, tie the room together by weaving shades of it into your wallpaper or pillow coverings.
Like any paint color, orange comes in tons of hues, ranging from the redder burnt end of the spectrum to the brighter, more yellowish paints.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Invigorate
Benjamin Moore® Sharp Cheddar
Sherwin-Williams Obstinate Orange
Benjamin Moore Autumn Orange
BEHR® Japanese Koi
5. Gray
Although earth tones and more vibrant colors get the most attention among the mid-century modern paint colors, gray plays an important role, providing contrast with its equally vast range of shades.
Darker grays are very common paint colors for a modern home, thanks to their versatility and the fact that they play well with others. They can also balance out all the mid-century orange, yellow, red, and green accents that you may want to add to your home.
For inspiration:
PPG Wright Soft Grey
Benjamin Moore® Wales Gray
Sherwin-Williams Shagbark
Benjamin Moore® Fallen Timber
Benjamin Moore® Graphite
6. White
While picking the right white paint can seem challenging, pure white is always a safe bet. If you want to stay true to the mid-century era and give yourself a canvas primed for incorporating fun accent colors, a white that reads red or has a pink undertone will open the door to an array of complementary colors. There’s a reason this is one of the most popular mid-century modern exterior paint colors.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Westhighland White
Benjamin Moore® White Opulence
Sherwin-Williams Pure White
Farrow & Ball Dimity
Benjamin Moore® Ashwood
7. Pink
Often paired with aqua in retro 50s diners, pink can add a pop of color to a white space and definitely brings the mid-century modern vibe home. Pink also has a much wider range of shades than it might seem, from a darker, richer shade just shy of red to a light and bubbly rosé.
For inspiration:
Farrow & Ball Blooth Pink
Sherwin-Williams Ravishing Coral
Backdrop 36 Hours in Marrakesh
Sherwin-Williams Rejuvenate
Benjamin Moore® Coral Reef
8. Mint or Aqua Green
Mint and aqua green bring the cool, calm brightness of the Caribbean to your home. These were two of the most popular accent colors of the period, and they’re still a hit today. Always pairing well with white and tan, aqua and mint work for living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, and sunrooms, alike.
For inspiration:
Benjamin Moore® Sea Mist Green
Benjamin Moore® Jamaican Aqua
Sherwin-Williams Retro Mint
Farrow & Ball Arsenic
Benjamin Moore® Seafoam Green
9. Earthy Browns
Mid-century modern aesthetics value the use of natural materials with clean, simple lines. Earth tones feature prominently in the essential mid-century modern color palette. As with gray (but from a different perspective), earth tones provide a neutral and grounding contrast to more vibrant colors like ochre, red, orange, and aqua.
For inspiration:
Benjamin Moore® Woodstock Tan
Farrow & Ball Wet Sand
BEHR® Aging Barrel
Farrow & Ball Deep Reddish Brown
Benjamin Moore® Incense Stick
10. Brick Red
Reds were all the rage in the mid-century, as they went well with other earth tones of the era. Using a more pinkish-red as your wall color gives you the ability to have a fun complement like Nancy's Blushes from Farrow & Ball for your trim.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Heartthrob
Sherwin-Williams Cayenne
Benjamin Moore® Terra Cotta Tile
Benjamin Moore® Heritage Red
Benjamin Moore® Caliente
Mid-century modern paint colors create an ambience that’s exciting and chill at the same time. However, if trying to decide which colors work best for you and your space causes more confusion than calm, consider hiring a professional interior designer near you. They can help with the entire process of creating the mid-century modern home of your dreams.
Kristin Luna contributed to this piece.