Mid-century modern is a design term applied most frequently to residential (and some commercial) architecture, interior design and furniture. Related to the Space Age, the International style and Googie, mid-century modern translated the ideology of Modernism into a sleek, cool, yet accessible lifestyle. Mid-century modernism was more organic in form and less serious than the International Style. Scandinavian and Finnish designers and architects were very prolific at this time, with a style characterized by simplicity, democratic design and organic shapes. They had an influence on Mid-century modernism in the rest of the world, including the US. Mid-century modernism has become popular in recent times, and has influenced contemporary modern design profoundly.

Standard designers of the mid-century modern era include: Eero Saarinen, Arne Jacobsen, Alvar Aalto, Rudolf Schindler, Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Hans Wegner, and Craig Ellwood.