The unmistakable (and sometimes clashing) color schemes and retro architecture aren’t for everybody, after all. I personally can’t get enough of this style. My Sim’s homes are decorated with mid-mod more than anything else. Someone once called my taste “granny chic”, and uh… guilty as charged, I guess. Even if you wouldn’t go quite that far yourself, I think you’ll still be able to find something here to your liking!
Mid-Century Eclectic Set
Check Out This CC I want to start you guys off right with this CC set from Peacemaker_ic that has just about everything you need to furnish your Sim’s home in this style. First off, I want to bring attention to the wallpaper. At least one design gets used in basically every single one of my builds. I don’t care if it looks outdated or slightly out of place for ‘current’ homes and Sims, I am in love with these colors. In love, y’all. Secondly, I’d like to point out that the furniture styles are distinctly unlike anything offered in-game, in the best way. The bucket chair, poufs, and side tables can be mixed and matched in so many ways to give your Sim’s house a unique retro flair. Those are actually just some of the highlights for the set – it would be more aptly named a Mid-Century starter kit!
Vice Sofa Series
Check Out This CC In another stunning creation from our retro loving lord and savior, Peacemaker, we have more seating. A sofa, loveseat, living chair and bench, all in that same awesomely sharp look. Furniture like this – which I now know is called winged – isn’t too common nowadays. That’s a shame, really. All of these pieces are so… dignified.
Storage Bench
Check Out This CC Any item that has more than one usage gets double the brownie points from me. I think this was an idea that only really came along with Tiny Living Stuff. Before that, most things were pretty cut and dry for our Sims. Beds are for sleep. TV stands are for TV. Tables are there for you to pile all your dirty dishes on until the maid gets there. Well, not anymore. Thanks to cool ideas like this one from Vro (who is another dedicated mid-mod creator) your Sim will have a seat and table all in one. I really adore the way this is displayed in the picture. Lamp, phone, cactus, and pencils all within reaching distance. It’s so cozy! And you better clutter it up, because we all know it’s gonna become the designated dish area if you don’t.
Vanity Table
Check Out This CC Just the word ‘vanity’ conjures up images of days gone by in my head. I’m guessing it’s not just me, since these objects were only introduced into The Sims 4 with the addition of Vintage Glamour Stuff. Vro has created another beautiful piece of furniture here, this time a wonderfully compact vanity table with mirror. Yes, at last you can give your Sims a place to put their makeup and perfume that doesn’t look like it was just hauled out of an abandoned Victorian house.
Mid-Mod CC Set
Check Out This CC
It’s happening again, guys. A whole CC set!
That’s right: once again we have multiple mid-mod items to furnish your Sim’s home, this time from plumbobteasociety.
Funky patterns, pop art, solid recolors, and new meshes all come together to create the perfect past-inspired display.
There are also some options for dining tables and chairs here, a sometimes overlooked but necessary part of your home.
Something about a circular table just works so well for these kinds of builds.
Retro Sofa
Check Out This CC You can always use more sofa options, right? Speaking of which, I’d love to know the consensus on the terms sofa and couch. Are they the same, or is there a difference? And then, if you actually look back at the mid-mod era, there were folks who called them Davenports. I think they’re all the same thing, then I see CC items like this and think maybe sofas are a little fancier… Semantics aside, this one from thingsbydean (no matter what you want to call it) is super clean and solid.
Portland Living Set
Check Out This CC Man, this set just makes me so happy. Every CC set on this list so far is quite impressive, but this one matches my personal tastes the best. So if you’re like me and you’re interested in making your Sim’s house look like a set from a television show that’s triple your age, this is definitely for you. One of the most exciting things here is the fireplace, which is a small one rather than the usual dinosaur sized ones. That’s not even the coolest part, though – it matches the furniture! You can have not only a teal table, couch, and bookshelf, but also a fireplace too. How amazing is that? There are plenty of other ways to vary the colors if you’d rather not have everything match, of course. Creator SaudadeSims gives you plenty of ways to do just that, with the furniture all coming in 28 color options each.
Old Functional Television
Check Out This CC Now that I’ve given you plenty of choices for retro seating, we’ve got to start getting into the entertainment items. For most modern households, I think we can all agree that the television is the main focus. All your furniture is going to revolve around that, like it’s the sun and your couch is Earth. Maybe that’s a bit far, but really, what did people even do with their living rooms before television? Sit there and talk to each other? Bleh. Luckily, that concern was long gone by the mid-century modern era. Yes, even when televisions were boxy and the screen was only about 30% of the whole set, people were already well on their way to being obsessed. This TV from Effie looks exactly as it should: a perfect fit for the rest of the furniture I’ve listed. The fact that it’s functional is the cherry on top.
Vinyl Stereo Record Player
Check Out This CC The Sims 4 might not be your first foray into the franchise if the sight of this record player seems oddly familiar and makes you nostalgic. It took me a while to realize why, but this is another amazing conversion from TS3 to TS4. Deep in the recesses of my memory, I recall this being one of my most used items, many moons ago. Now my weird vintage fixation can be brought out in full force in Sims 4, too. Objects like this are so needed, especially, since vinyl is so popular at the moment.
Generations Stereo
Check Out This CC If there was one single item that I’d say you can’t go without in a mid-mod home, it would be one of these gigantic stereos. I don’t know why a stereo had to take up a whole wall. I just know it’s accurate and looks nice. No one is gonna mistake what era you’re shooting for with one of these lovelies plopped in your Sim’s living room. And you’ll have more slots for sweet, sweet clutter.
Retro Walls
Check Out This CC In my opinion, a Simmer can never have enough options for wall coverings. I could scroll around for hours looking for new ones and still not be satisfied. Here we have some extremely ‘60s wallpaper. There’s really no other way to describe it, and that’s glorious. I have no idea what these patterns are called, but they’re very familiar. Who knew you could be nostalgic for a time that was over and done with decades before your birth?
Plush Comfort Carpet Recolors
Check Out This CC Believe it or not, this was actually one of the first custom content items I ever downloaded. From the moment I got The Sims 4, I was taken aback by the lack of carpet options. That’s where Porphyria came in as my hero, and they’ll be yours too if you want the floor to match the rest of your mid-mod look. What was popular in flooring back then is not what’s popular now. Brown. Orange. Green. Even pink, believe it or not. Those were the in-colors way back when. You just can’t get the same vibe with beige carpet.
Mid-Century Kitchen Items
Check Out This CC Your Sim’s kitchen will need a little attention if you want to fully go mid-century modern. These two CC items from Linzlu will add that old-school touch you’re looking for. It’s entirely possible I’m just a slob, but I can’t even remember the last time I saw an apron. It still adds a nice little something to the overall look of your kitchen. The cake saver does as well, giving your Sims an eternal cake on the counter.
Kingston Dining Set
Check Out This CC We’ve circled back to Peacemaker’s CC, but moved away from the living room. As expected, everything is still outstanding! Now that the focus is fully on dining sets, I feel it’s the right time to point out something many of you may have never noticed…it seems like during this time period, almost everyone had two tables. One was in the kitchen and used for breakfast, the other was a larger table in the dining room used for dinner. Of course I’m not speaking from experience – this is just something I caught while watching a lot of old television and seeing old pictures. I don’t know a soul now who has space for two tables. So this may be something to take into account as you’re placing this stuff.
Futura Living and Dining Set
Check Out This CC In this combined living and dining set from Peacemaker, you will once again have about a billion ways to experiment with mid-mod interior design. I feel like I’m beating a dead horse at this point if I go on about the colors again, even though I’m just about giddy over it. Instead, let’s shift the focus to the actual design of these items. Everything is so unique. I’ve never seen tables, shelves, or mirrors anything like this, and I’m loving it.
Back to Retro Cabinets
Check Out This CC It may seem like a basic wood cabinet, but I’m losing my mind over it. As much as I go crazy for colors and patterns, sometimes simple is just as good. A few neutral items like this actually create the opportunity for more outlandish decorating. And you can customize these however you want with clutter, which is always a win versus pre-set clutter.
Peggy Dress
Check Out This CC As this list begins to wind down, I want to include some ways for your Sims to look the part once their houses are full up on mid-century modern CC. This dress CC from fireleaftea is a great first step. It’s adorable, and not specifically tied to any one decade – just like mid-mod itself.
Samantha Hair
Check Out This CC Now this hair from the talented Saurus is gorgeous. Your Sims will look so classically poised and neat with these short waves topped by a headband. The side swept bangs on this hair are also pretty cute. I’m a little jealous.
Beehive Hair
Check Out This CC Is there a single hairstyle more iconic and brave than the beehive? I think not. While you’re pretty unlikely to see anyone walking down the street with this ‘do nowadays, big hair was a big deal in the mid-century modern era. I don’t have the foggiest idea how they got their hair to stay like that, I’m just glad this wonder is now available for our Sims.
Same Old Glasses
Check Out This CC And finally, we must look a little closer at glasses. Did you get that I was trying to squeeze an eyesight joke in there? I mean, I really tried and that’s the best I could come up with. Shameful. Ahem, anyway… Glasses are actually one of the quickest ways to identify what period a photograph is from. Their ever-changing history has been quite dramatic, and there’s no mistaking how dated many designs are. These slightly cat-eyed, tortoiseshell patterned glasses from Nords-Sims are indeed dated. Just enough so that your Sim will fit in with their wing chairs and shag carpet.
