Eight builders offering airy and affordable mid-century modern homes 

With its clean lines and simple forms, mid-century modern architecture is beloved in Australia for its unpretentious and functional design. 

Having become attractive showpieces or targets for restoration, the original homes that were built in this lean, angular style often now command hefty prices in the established market for their design cred alone. 

But if for fans of the mid-century modern aesthetic that aren’t planning on buying an existing home, this dream can feel out of reach. 

Perhaps you’re building instead of buying because it’s the most affordable way to own a house in your area, or your home needs to have particular elements built-in, or you don’t want the hassle of maintaining an ageing home. 

Owning a mid-century modern-inspired home is still possible.

Builders across Australia have taken inspiration from the hallmarks of this style – such as irregular eaves, exposed stone, and swathes of glass – and incorporated them into new designs that echo this beloved era of design. 

Here are eight builders that offer home designs that pay homage to mid-century modern design principles. 

Ausmar – Queensland 

In sunny Queensland, builder Ausmar has a design called Bellevue that captures some of mid-century modern’s most iconic elements. From the gently sloping roof to the full-height glass windows, this home makes the most of clean lines and clear views. The geometric breeze-block screen at the front is a particularly strong nod to the era. 

This four-bedroom, two-bathroom home starts from $292,330 and can be built on a block measuring just 12.5 metres wide. Ausmar offers lots of customisations for this build, but we suggest you keep the sunflower yellow door. 

Plunkett Homes – Western Australia 

Taking inspiration from Palm Springs – a hotspot for development during the mid-century modern era – the Atomic design from Plunkett Homes makes a statement with its large overhanging eave that also provides entryway shelter. The central blade wall jutting through the angular roof is also an iconic feature of mid-century modern architecture. 

In its display home showing off the design, Plunkett Homes has leaned into the mid-century modern aesthetic, curating the space with a Sputnik chandelier – popularised in the 1950s – and geometric finishes.  

Plunkett builds in a number of regions in Greater Perth and beyond, and offers this home as a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-car garage. 

GJ Gardner Homes – National  

GJ Gardner Homes builds homes all across the country, and its Alpine Vista 360 design is a popular choice with almost endless customisations available. 

The Northern Gold Coast arm of this franchise has created a perfect example of how the pavilion-style design can lean mid-century modern with a low-lying U-shaped home that features both sloping and flat-top roofing of different heights and natural stone features. 

The ample use of glass in this design makes it well suited to the Queensland climate, with the home able to be opened up for airflow and to enjoy the outside view. 

With four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms and 360sqm of living space, this is home that needs quite a bit of space, with a minimum block width of 28 metres. 

Simonds – Victoria, Queensland and South Australia 

Ample glass lets in the light in the Willandra 34 from Simonds, which is an efficient four-bedroom, two-bathroom house that can be built on blocks with a minimum width of 16 metres. 

The facade’s blade wall and low-pitched roof enhance the mid-century modern feel of this facade, called the Merri.  

Inside, it’s perhaps in the living areas where the style is most pronounced. This home design offers raked ceilings – a hallmark of mid-century design, where the ceilings follow the pitch of the roof – giving the kitchen, living, dining and alfresco a light-filled feel. 

Metricon – National 

The flat-topped, podium-style roof of Metricon’s Cove facade on their Qualia design captures the clean, modern lines that took the world by storm when mid-century modern architecture burst onto the scene in the 1930s. 

This style is perfect for lovers of modernism that are keen create a home that straddles mid-century modernism and contemporary architecture with rounded corners and sleek finishes. 

Inside, this four-bedroom, two-bathroom home has lots of customisations, with options to expand the living area, growing the basic 317sqm layout to 359sqm. 

Easystart Homes – Western Australia 

Maximising a small space was something that mid-century modernism excelled at, by opening up rooms and creating bright living areas that feel larger thanks to large windows and open-plan living. 

These are elements that the Indi design from Easystart Homes makes use of in the 237sqm home that’s able to be built on a 12.5 metre wide block. 

With a flexible layout, the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home is extremely appealing to first-time buyers who are looking to create a forever home that can accommodate all their future needs. 

Dixon Homes – Queensland and NSW 

From Dixon Homes in Queensland, this compact house design with a statement roof line contains everything you need in a three-bedroom home. Featuring a light brick facade, the unostentatious elements such as a trio of long rectangular front windows show off the simplicity of modernism.

Inside, the design harnesses a large open-plan area for kitchen, living and dining in order to make the most of the space. 

Masterton Homes – NSW 

The Bayview design from Masterton Homes combines both flat and angular roof styling to create the type of interesting angles that mid-century modernism is known for. A variety of window shapes also lends interest to the front of this home. 

Inside, its four bedrooms and two bathrooms benefit from a design that puts the living areas at the heart of the home, and creates plenty of room for entertaining – another element that mid-century modern homes became know for: plenty of space to party.

Are you interested in building your dream home? Check out our dedicated New Homes section.

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