The Bradstreet Fireclay Farmhouse Sink and the Pollock Copper Bar Sink: Designing with the Sink in Mind
An example of mid-century modern design elements
Mid-century modern design is still everywhere. Straight lines, classic wooden furniture, dangling lights, bar carts, mirrors, and more make a home really sing with the flair of the 1950’s. Now, the design community is still abuzz with with bringing the feel of the mid-century to modern design practices. According to Wikipedia, Mid-century modern is an architectural, interior, product and graphic design that describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965.
While mid-century architecture has very specific characteristics (large windows, bi-level / split-level homes, flat roofs, etc.), it can be difficult to come by these homes – since the style is still trending, they can be very expensive. But, you can still integrate this classic style throughout your home decor very easily.
If you look at examples of mid-century design, you’ll see metallics treated in a very specific way. Many room designs from that era used brass and gold metals very heavily, and some also used silver – but either way, they used these tones very consistently throughout the design. Color is also a very strong element of mid-century modern design. You’ll see anything from bold and bright colors to more subdued earthy tones – depending on the decade. Either way, color is often used as a complement to white walls and tiles, and wood floors and furniture.
We have taken one of our new farmhouse fireclay sinks, the Bradstreet, and imagined a room design around it using the mid-century modern style.
The Kitchen Sink and Faucet
This fireclay sink is a classic design with clean lines forming a portrait shape on the front of the apron. The clean lines and geometric shape on this fireclay sink harkens back to a Mondrian style of art and fits perfectly within a mid-century kitchen. Sinkology fireclay sinks are made from a mixture of clay and glaze that is fired at extremely high temperatures to be extremely durable, heat-resistant, chip-resistant, and scratch-resistant. Sinkology fireclay sinks are also extremely easy to care for and maintain.
We have also included a rustic bronze faucet from Pfister, the Canton. This faucet has a beautiful slope and clean design that makes it perfectly at home in a mid-century modern kitchen.
The Bar Sink
What mid-century modern home would be complete without a bar set-up? Whether you are using a bar cart or have a wet bar installed, this element is very important in capturing the mid-century feel. In this design, we have included the Pollock copper bar sink to fit in with the rustic bronze faucet and copper tones of the Johnson bottom grid and the disposal flange. Your glassware is very important when conveying the style of your home. You can find all kinds of mid-century glassware at antique shops and flea markets if you look hard enough. These Dorothy Thorpe silver banded glasses call back to the glory days of Madison Avenue.
The Colors
Mid-century modern design uses color very deliberately. In the 1950’s, colors of kitchens were very bold and bright, and became a little more subdued in 1960’s – being more sophisticated earth tones. We chose to use a little mix of the two with this yellow. It’s still earthy, but it’s definitely bright and bold, as well. These yellow tones also go great with a brass, gold, and copper metallic palette. While we used a black shag rug as a background, you may choose to go with a creme color as an alternative to complement your fireclay sink and brighten up your room. Whatever color you choose for your carpeted floor coverings, just make sure they are shag.
Shapes and Lines
Geometric shapes, parallelograms, and straight lines all indicate a mid-century design. These copper electric outlet covers show clean lines that complement the portrait design of the apron front on the fireclay sink. In addition to using polished wood tones, this trivet also integrates the brass metallic while using thick, clean lines.
While mid-century modern design is beautiful, it’s not for everyone. What style would you use with this fireclay sink apron front design?
For more Designing with the Sink in mind inspiration, check out the rest of our blog. If you have a mid-century modern home, we’d love to see it! Make sure to share with us on Facebook, Houzz, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.
