The Best Midcentury Modern Furniture Stores of Washington DC (January 2021)
Published
Long before AMC’s Mad Men exposed it to new fans, sleek midcentury modern (MCM) furniture captured the attention of the stylish and made its way into tens of thousands of homes. In fact, it’s so popular that there are entire stores dedicated to the style of furniture in DC, Baltimore/Maryland, and Virginia. So if you’re one of its fans — new or old — read on to learn about the best stores the area has to offer. Regardless of your budget or where in the DMV you reside, we’ll give you a run down on the specialty stores and a few hidden bonuses that you may have missed.
Not from the DC region? Check out ATTIC City for the best midcentury furniture stores and dealers in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis-St Paul, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Anotonio, San Diego, the San Francisco bay area, and Seattle.
This post begins with stores that focus on midcentury modern (MCM) furniture and home decor, but also includes a few stores that sell great MCM pieces mixed with a variety of other styles. For a broader and regularly updated list of new MCM furniture pieces, keep your eyes on our Just Arrived page, which features new inventory from 50+ local stores.
The price point of products from the stores on our list are generally in the middle to high range (e.g., pieces starting at $500 and up). In the middle range, you can find very good quality, authentic midcentury modern furniture often of American make. Their selections make excellent alternatives to stores like West Elm, CB2, and Ikea that sell new furniture inspired by the originals. For the higher priced stores, you’ll find genuine MCM products, many from Danish and other Scandinavian designers, that rival the quality of Room and Board and Design Within Reach. To see all of the latest MCM inventory from DC’s stores, use our midcentury filter under Furniture Styles.
Midcentury Modern (MCM) Speciality Stores
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Mary Kay’s Furniture
Baltimore, MD
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You might say Mary Kay’s is prolific. With a steady and relatively high volume of new midcentury modern furniture inventory, northern Baltimore / Baltimore County has a good spot for higher end, higher priced pieces. Check out some of their latest goods.
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Modern Mobler
Takoma DC and Kensington, MD
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Known by many as the area’s go-to source for MCM furniture (and unfortunately one of the only remaining MCM specialty stores within the District’s borders), you’ll find great examples of midcentury modern design here. The quality comes at a price, but you’ll be getting some of the nicest pieces out there. In addition to their Takoma location, they have a second stored located in Kensington, MD.
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Peg Leg Vintage
Beltsville, MD
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Peg Leg is now one of the area’s flagship MCM dealers. It's located near the Ikea in College Park. (Hint: give them a try before you purchase that JÄNKY particle board dresser or the GUDLUK bookshelf system.) Peg Leg’s inventory is typically priced in the mid- to upper-midrange for well selected midcentury pieces, including those from both American (e.g., Broyhill Brasilia and American of Martinsville) and European designers and manufacturers (e.g., various Danish). Have a look at some of Peg Leg Vintage’s latest products.
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RetroSquad
Manassas, VA
One of the most recent additions to ATTIC, RetroSquad carries some of the highest end Danish- and Scandinavian-designed and made midcentury modern furniture in the area. They make up for a lack of volume with quality. See RetroSquad’s MCM goods for yourself.
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Vintage MC
Frederick, MD
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No tricks here — you get exactly what their name suggests: a nice variety of mid century (MC) furniture. They’re relatively close to Harper’s Ferry. A hike plus a hutch (or a credenza, sofa, chair…) sounds like a great day to us. Recent inventory here.
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Hearthside Home
Poolesville, MD
Hearthside is another option for high-end midcentury furniture. A fairly large and regularly updated selection of items are sure to please, albeit at the higher end of the price spectrum.
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Off Main
Catonsville / Baltimore, MD
Off Main is one of the smaller operations on this list, only adding about three or four items to their inventory per week. The prices are quite reasonable. You can make the visit yourself with an appointment and a short drive up/down I-95.
Vintage and Used Furniture Stores with MCM Furniture
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1830 DC
Washington, DC (Adams Morgan)
Remember the Off the Beaten Track Warehouse of Northeast DC? While it may have shuttered a few years back, it's owners have since returned to DC's vintage scene and hopened 1830 DC. Their new shop is small, but packs a great vintage punch with a variety of styles including the regular appearance of midcentury modern goods. Have a look at their recent inventory.
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Miss Pixies
Washington, DC (14th Street / Logan Circle)
Perhaps the best known used furniture store in DC (if not the entire DMV), Miss Pixies brings in a large number of new furniture pieces every week. You'll likely find several MCM pieces (especially dressers and chests of drawers) in the mix. View some of Miss Pixies recent inventory.
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Wishbone Reserve
Baltimore, MD
For those in the Batlimore area, Wishbone Reserve carries a sizeable inventory of used and vintage furniture, and MCM pieces are common in their inventory. View their recent inventory.
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Have we missed anyone? Please let us know. And if you want to see the latest from all of these MCM dealers, keep your eyes on ATTIC’s browse page, updated daily with new inventory listings from these and a total of 50+ local, independent furniture stores.
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RIP
Millennium Decorative Arts
UPDATE: Unfortunately, Millennium closed its doors for good in December 2015. Located in a walk down along U St, Millennium is a staple of DC’s MCM speciality market. Their selection isn’t the largest, but it changes often and is all well picked. Their prices are middle of the road and very reasonable given the quality. Recent ATTIC featured items have included these upholstered Knoll chairs and this secretary desk.
Hunted House
Update: Hunted House closed its doors in March of 2016. We’ve got hope they’ll re-appear as a pop-up or some other form in the future though. Read an interview we did for Popville with the owner to announce the closure and talk about the store’s history. Hunted House was originally located on 14th Street before they opened up a nice two-level store on rapidly developing H Street. Their prices range from the quite affordable to the midrange for the more rare items. Extra good deals can be found in their lower second-level if you don’t mind a ding or taking the time to spruce things up.
Mara Home
UPDATE: Mara Home closed their store in the fall of 2015. Mixed in with an offering of primarily new designer furniture, Mara Home located just north of U street carries a small selection of vintage pieces. selection of vintage pieces.