Cover story GOING MOD
Re-create the yesteryear styles of ‘Mad Men’ in your home today
Now that another season of “Mad Men” is taking us back to the 1960s, lovers of Mid-century Modern style are eyeing the sets for inspiration.
Luckily, the popularity of the AMC show and the design style makes it easy to find furniture that sets the stage.
The retro decor complements many of today’s furnishings — something to remember when you’re trying to capture that ’60s vibe, says Anthony Larosa, former furniture design department chair at Savannah College of Art and Design. He cautions against going all-in on the vintage look.
“People would have had a mix of furniture in their homes,” he notes. “We get attached to things; we take them with us when we move and redecorate.”
If you’re keen to incorporate vintage, reproduction or newly reissued pieces from the “Mad Men” era, he suggests starting by looking at books and magazines from the period to see what real interiors looked like.
That’s the approach the show’s set production team took.
Living room furniture
“Mad Men” set decorator Claudette Didul says she and Production Designer Dan Bishop are especially proud of the Manhattan apartment they created for newlywed characters Don Draper, an ad agency exec, and his former secretary, Megan Calvet. The split-level, open-plan living room was initially envisioned by show creator Matthew Weiner, but it was up to the production team to make the space cool, livable and accommodating to shoot requirements.
“The sofa, bench and wall unit are all built for the space and can be easily removed,” says Didul.
Those looking to capture the look might like Gus Modern’s tweedy, tailored Rochelle sofa, designed by David Podsiadlo, which looks a lot like the Drapers’ ($1,999 at
Crate & Barrel’s Bel-air collection of coffee and side tables features walnut-stained tops on svelte, cast-aluminum tripod bases (side $399, coffee $549). Vintage Danish modern pieces are hard to find and often pricey, but the Calista teak sideboard has the look at a reasonable price ($1,499).
Florence Knoll’s Lounge series of geometric chairs and sofas are classics. While the real thing will set you back $4,000 or more, you can find a similar one at
for $549. Niels Bendtsen’s airy, glass-topped Homework desk often sells for about $2,000, but Rove, a Vancouver-based retailer, offers it for $899.
Herman Miller commissioned furniture designer Mark Goetz to design a sofa that would comple- ment the work of early Modern icons like Isamu Noguchi, George Nelson, and Charles and Ray Eames. The result is a tailored yet comfortable leather seat wrapped in a curve of molded plywood veneer ( $3,949).
Lighting
On “Mad Men,” light fixtures are practically characters in themselves — every set’s personality is punctuated by one or two statement lamps.
You can find similar versions, such as Lamp Work’s walnut Tulip table and floors lamps (from $224.89 to $427.39 at and long-necked turquoise or orange ceramic table lamps ($129 each).
Babette Holland’s new capsuleshaped Gemini and Apollo lamp designs reference the ’60s space missions in colors true to the era — cranberry, gold, olive and sapphire ($450 each at
“We’ve been told that the colors remind people of those 1950s tumblers, so they immediately love them,” Holland says, talking about the aluminum drinkware found in many homes at the time.
Home from the office
The offices of “Mad Man’s” advertising agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Price, are filled with cool furniture that would work at home, in living and work spaces alike.
One of the show’s most popular sets is the black, white and chrome sanctum of silver-haired company partner Roger Sterling. Didul says the brief from Weiner for the look was “Italian hospital.”
You can buy the Artemide Nesso mushroom table lamp for $455 at
Hokku Designs’ off-white Concorde leather sofa would fit right in, too ($1,897 at
Blu Dot’s Chicago series of wood veneer and tubular steel-box shelving looks similar to pieces found in Sterling Cooper Draper Price’s offices ($599 and up at
Larosa says secondhand stores are a particularly good source for mid-century office furniture.