If you’re like us and anxiously awaiting Mad Men’s two-hour season premiere on Sunday night, here’s a little something to tide you over. Nothing’s been leaked about what to expect from our favorite dapper leading man haunted by a self-inflicted double life except for AMC’s look at where Season 4 left off and the well-designed albeit vague posters showing our hero’s infinite fall from grace. One of the many questions we’re dying to know the answer to: how will production designer extraordinaire, Dan Bishop, evolve the show’s aesthetic? The last season saw a transition from the muted tones of the late ’50s to the beginnings of space-age minimalism and a global obsession with color. Fast approaching the ’70s, we’re wondering what new design goodness will be introduced.
Matthew Weiner, the show’s creator, says that the series isn’t “a textbook study of mid-century modern America.” In keeping with that, we’ve done our best to round up some of the more obscure design references from the first few seasons. From Bert Cooper’s progressive art collection to the ubiquitous roly poly lowballs to funky metal sculptures, here’s our guide to mid-century modern design — the Mad Men way. Tell us about your favorite Mad Men design moment in the comments!
Asiana ant farms
Blue velvet
C. Jeré-esque metal sculptures
Dorothy Thorpe silver band roly poly lowballs
Expressionist paintings
Foo dogs
Graphic partition screens
Hokusai’s “The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife”
Italian hospital chic courtesy of a wife half your age
Jaunty blue table lamps
Knoll tufted couches
Little retro television sets
Mini-blinds
Nesso lamp by Artemide
Orange accents
Primary colors
Quixotic pied-à-terres
Roulette cigarette dispensers
Saarinen red chairs
Teal paint
Umbrellas, striped
Vases, multiple
White brick fireplaces
Xerox machines
Yellow rotary phones
Zebra wallpaper
