For a few years now I’ve been saying that Mid Century Modern is over. The look that took Palm Springs and the rest of the country by storm may finally be breathing its last breath. And as far as I’m concerned it’s time.

In the last decade, interior designers, architects and the public found that the style and character of design from the middle of the 20th century was being lost or ignored. Some great furniture and buildings were forgotten and sadly, in disrepair. A few brave souls brought this to our attention, especially in southern California where the look was born and bred. Suddenly, everyone got on board. Homes from the 1960s began selling like hotcakes. Eames and other furniture designers were finally getting their due respect and it was a great thing. Mad Men came along, and BAM!… the nation was hooked and addicted.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a style move through the population with such a vengeance!

But we are a fickle people, and fads come and go, especially those that become overworked and overdone, like this has. When was the last time you saw an original take on this classic style? Walking the streets of Palm Springs, California or going into the many shops and stores that have fed into the frenzy, it suddenly become refreshing to see a front door that isn’t painted orange, or a living room without a white shag rug and satellite shaped clock on the wall. Is it some kind of longing for our childhood? I think it’s time for us to just say “no”, let the 1960s go and move on.

Its become, in the words of Antiques dealer Richard Shapiro ” the monotony of one mid-century room after another, predictable, gratuitous, with gimmicky accessories.” Have we forgotten to embrace that wonderful concept “eclectic”? I believe we have forsaken the pedigree found in the best of Mid Century Design and lost ourselves in the trend. Will we look back soon and laugh at ourselves and our homes like we do now with the Santa Fe or Tuscan look we once latched on to, much to our embarrassment?

I know that I will now be an outcast in Palm Springs..  I might need to keep an eye on my back. But, I am hoping that we soon start to cut back on this look. Use it sparingly. Remember the great bones of Mid Century design but stop romanticizing it. Everything in moderation, my friends. Love it, use it, but maybe give it a much deserved rest?