Mad Men Furniture: How To Create Your Own Sixties Style

Now that season five of Mad Men is taking us back to the Sixties, lovers of the modern style are eyeing the sets for inspiration.

Luckily, the popularity of both the show and the design style makes it easy to find furniture that sets the stage.

The retro decor complements many of today's furnishings, an important thing to remember when you're trying to capture that `Sixties 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, even if you love it.

'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.

Mad Men's 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 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 able to accommodate shoot requirements.

Roger Sterling's office uses classic pieces easy to find today, from places like Crate & Barrell, Ikea, Etsy and Kartell

'We have to be able to move walls, and set up camera platforms, so we couldn't have actual furniture in certain places. The sofa, bench and wall unit are all built for the space and can be easily removed,' says Didul.

Some products available to purchase to get you started are Crate & Barrel's Bel-Air collection of coffee and side tables (side $399, coffee $549), and the Vintage Danish Calista teak sideboard ($1,499).

'Simple lines, natural elements and earth tones, punctuated by Diner Brights – orange, magenta and turquoise'

Goetz says, 'What makes the best Mid-century pieces is that they not only appeal to our personal sense of style; they have a degree of visual and functional truth that makes people want to live with them.'

In period TV shows, light fixtures are essential in delivering the right look.

Tall, slender wood, colorful opaque glass, gleaming metal – every set on Mad Men has a personality punctuated by one or two statement lamps.

Didul says the production team favored vintage lampshades despite their fragility. 

'The slubbed silk on them is just beautiful, and the light through them is really unique,' she says.

 Etsy.com is a good source for vintage fabrics, mod Pucci prints, florals and groovy graphics - all are a fun way to add Sixties style with textile accents

Pieces like this giraffe wall art triptych is a replica of one in a Mad Men apartment set

Hers came from Los Angeles-area prop shops and vintage stores.

'We've been told that the colors remind people of those 1950s tumblers, so they immediately love them,' she says, talking about the aluminum drinkware found in many homes at the time. 

'So much of the design of that period is timeless. We did our best to tap into that and bring it forward.'

Debra Kling, a New York-based color consultant and decorator, sees Mid-century Modern style as grounded in neutral hues.

'Simple lines, natural elements like stone and stained wood, and earth tones, punctuated by what I call Diner Brights – orange, magenta and turquoise,' she says.

To stay true to the style, Kling advises mixing these hues into a background of neutrals, and keeping the floor plan open.

 Bright colours, graphic wall art prints and classic retro furniture are easy ways to incorporate the Mad Men aesthetic into more modern interiors

Didul and her team have done that on the Mad Men sets, incorporating colorful throw pillows, ashtrays and drinkware throughout the rooms.

Etsy.com is a good source for vintage fabrics; mod Pucci prints, modern florals and groovy graphics are a fun way to add  Sixties style with textile accents.

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 was 'Italian hospital,' and there's actually a scene where copywriter Freddy Rumsen calls it that.

Larosa says secondhand stores are a particularly good source for mid-century office furniture.

'Companies that sell used office furniture often have the best prices for vintage stuff,' says Larosa.