Merry, Minimal & Modern

Deck the halls and ditch the clutter.

Mid Century Modern and Minimalism go hand-in-hand, but it can be tricky to decorate for the holidays without cluttering those iconic views. Having grown up in an Eichler home, professional organizer Amanda Burns Clark is no stranger to maximizing the limited storage space, even at Christmastime. Find inspiration from her merry, minimal and modern home—sans clutter. (Find her kitchen storage and organizing tips here and here.)

“Due to our small amount of storage—we have a carport and a single-car garage—it’s a ‘use it or lose it’ type of situation,” she says. When you keep only the items you love, it’s a joy to bring out the decorations and kick off those holiday traditions.

playful retro color scheme in minimalist MCM home — In such an open space, small pops of color bring items to life. “I like a bright and playful color palette, like pinks, turquoise and orange,” Amanda says. She got the “Oh, What Fun” banner from Target and the Merry Christmas banner from kailochic.com.

MCM holiday home with retro color scheme — This retro pedal car under the tree is a charming Mid Century Modern replica. It was bought at Land of Nod, which is now Crate and Kids.

Creating Core Memories

“I wanted that same Mid Century Modern environment for my own children,” Amanda says. She describes her holiday-decorating style as retro, colorful and playful. “I have three young children. No decoration is too precious, but I’m trying to build core memories during the holidays and I’m hoping the whimsical nature of our decorations will be a part of those memories,” she says.

She looks for decorations with a retro flair, like the antique toy car under the tree or the atomic starbursts on the wall. In addition to pink, turquoise and orange, she uses silver and sparkles. “I especially love disco or mirrored pieces to add sparkle and shine,” Amanda says.

silver glass and bottle brush trees for holiday decor in MCM home — With their simple, elegant silver color, these decorations could make an easy transition into the next holiday. The silver and white trees and disco-mirrored Santa are from CB2.

mantel decoration with bright colors — “The miniature Eichler was built by my neighbor and looks just like their model,” Amanda says. “I rescued it from their garage sale and look forward to enjoying it for years to come.” For the colorful trees, she used painted wooden cutouts, acrylic triangles and collapsible honeycomb.

Maximizing Minimal Space

“Trying to decorate with minimal wall space and lots of glass can be challenging, but it makes our home very special,” Amanda says. Keeping her shapes basic and colors bright, the decorations stand out against the neutral paint and fabrics inside the home. She’s gotten decorating ideas from her mother and neighbors, who pointed her toward light-up Mid Century Modern houses from World Market. “We bought our 1960 home from the original owners and we look forward to enjoying this forever home for another generation,” Amanda says.

silver stocking and bright wrapping paper in holiday MCM home — above, left: Bright colors on wrapping paper stand out against the light paint in the room. The wrapping paper can be found at kailochic.com and the stockings are from Target.

merry minimal modern holiday home decorated credenza and family portrait — A small display of colorful nutcrackers stands opposite a silver tree. The large nutcrackers are from kailochic.com and small ones are from Target.

Merry, Modern and Minimal Decorating Details

Paper and blow-up decorations are major space savers because they pack away so easily. To make a big visual impact with a tiny footprint, these are the way to go. This year, Amanda plans to add large, colorful paper snowflakes from kailochic.com. Outside, a multicolored wreath stands out against the yellow front door, hinting at the playful decorations inside. Amanda and her husband also like to set up arches wrapped in white lights along the sidewalk. “It brings a magical feel to our neighborhood,” Amanda says. “The kids love riding their bikes through the arches.”

lighted arches outside holiday Eichler — To construct the arches, Amanda’s husband hammers rebar into the ground along the sidewalk and then she adds PVC pipe wrapped in white lights.

merry modern minimal holiday Eichler with colorful wreath — A sunny yellow door is eye-catching on its own but also makes a great backdrop for a colorful holiday wreath. Amanda found this front-door wreath at EGWreath on Etsy.

wooden snowmen in Eichler atrium for modern holiday decor — These wooden snowmen, gifted from Amanda’s aunt and uncle, were made with the wood from an old bowling alley and fit right in with the natural landscaping.

For more on Amanda’s expert organizing advice, visit eversoorganized.com.

For more merry, minimal and modern holiday inspiration, see this holiday home in Boise, Idaho. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Mid Century Modern inspiration!