From what I've seen, MidCentury tends to be minimal, clean lines, low. This is pretty cluttered and the individual pieces are "lost" because the eye can't settle on anything. So I first suggest she declutter the room entirely to give her mind a clean slate.
Not sure how those black chairs or the swan tables will fit. I don't know her budget but maybe the attached chair pic (from overstock) would be more fitting. The rug could work with the right chairs.
The bookcase looks like a good starting point (although she may want to remove at least 50% of the books in lieu of some clean-lined art on the shelves). That little bird pic is Adorable and she could stay with her bird theme by moving the pieces beneath it, to the bookshelf.
Pinterest and of course Houzz has some great ideas for these rooms; she should look at plenty for inspiration and tips as I'm not sure about her sense of style based on this room. That's not knocking as I don't have one either-which is why I go find inspiration rooms and then recreate them on my budget. Takes the burden of creating off of me... lol
Good luck to her!

I like bookcases filled with books. I don't care for other decorative items in or on top of them. And without those other items, it will immediately feel more modern. I wonder if those bookcases will fit next to each other on that long wall. Since the glass door cabinet isn't very mcm either :-)

Coffee table ideas (you need to hover over the photos to get the full image)

Oh... and I would definitely remove the rug. Since there's carpet underneath. And rugs over carpet in a room this size only breaks up the space more. Just wall to wall carpet....very midcentury modern :-)

This is a fun project. I can feel an essay coming on, and by the time I've finished, interruptions and all, this conversation will probably have made it redundant.

I agree that a good point to start is to get rid of all doodads, including the little mirrors (?) on the wall -- i.e. put them aside, some might be useful later. Essential keeps are the bird picture (yay!), the gull on the stick, the standing lamp and the glass-topped table. Probable keeps, the green spotted armchair; maybe the glass vases (I think) in the corner on top of the bookcases. The bookcases. The blue glass vase. The cabinet on which the gull presently sits. Okay, the black chairs. Though I do think the twfriday chair posted fits better. Put the swan tables in a special place, they could come back as that lovely bit of quirk that every good room has. Midcentury modern could be very boring; believe me, I lived through it.

Green and turquoise are very MCM. So I'm fantasising about the Nixon sofa Carolins posted, and walls repainted in a softer version of the green from the spotted armchair. (Oh, and Carolins is right. Rug goes. Clean look.)

Empty room. Sorry, the books are going to have to go into boxes for now. When you've repainted the walls, start with placing new gorgeous turquoise sofa -- those slanted legs are also very MCM -- and a new coffee table, preferably the Stockholm one, which makes me nostalgic. Bring in the green chair and the black chairs. Look around. Replace the gull cabinet where it was. Replace bird picture and gull. Bring in the bookcases, as a room without books is a sad thing indeed. Place them next to each other against one wall if possible. ... Arrange the books in a neat way. Higgledy piggledy is kind of bohemian now; we were very neat in MCM.

Okay, now I don't know if that's possible my energy has taken a dip. I don't think it is possible.

Carolins, help!

Possible wall colour (maybe, if it shows up correctly):

Hmm, a bit lighter, a bit brighter.

Why hasn't the conversation made my essay redundant? Come on people, this is a lovely thing to think about.

Okay, the colour more like this, perhaps:

ha ha...think you said it all...waiting for you to draw breath

Sorry Rina, 't was dinner time here :-)

I love both of those colors Rina! What colors are they? It looks a bit like Aganthus Green by BM which I'm considering for my own home.

I completely agree with the decluttering if she wants to go for a more MCM look. I think this room actually has a nice collected/eclectic feel to it on it's own though. I agree with more streamlined furniture and a subtler wall color though, to feel more minimal. I sort of love the black chair and the swan tables too, but they feel more retro 80's to me (which is coming back in a big way) Definitely trade out the couch for something sleeker though, I would say.

Dinner time here, too, or getting there. I think I'll log off until tomorrow. Thanks, Gail, but I look forward to more comments. Jimmianne, I hope I haven't terminally confused you. I think I've confused me.

(PS Wasn't smoking anything strange. Honest.)

So... we all agree that there's too much furniture and decoration in the room now to get the look your friend wants :-)

What color is the carpet? Grey blue/grey ?

Hello adhp. I made the colours up digitally. Sorreee. Oh, but isn't green lovely? Now, dinner time. Well, supper.

SW Honeydew comes quite close to Rina's lightest green. Sort of. Or not really. But it is a nice colour :-)

mid century with a twist/ideas

Something like the bottom pic might work and maybe she can use the swans as pedestals for a glass top coffee table. Just thinking that if the windows are going to be so much larger...the furniture will need to be brought to the middle...still wondering about actual carpet color because when room is decluttered...the carpet will come into play

Nice examples, Anne. But no sunburst mirror. Definitely no sunburst mirror. Top right is how I remember really chi chi homes, except for the sectional. Sofa, two chairs. Or more if you must. Why didn't anyone tell me this is a full-time occupation?

And how about more adorable pics to keep the bird company:

Gail -- lovely idea, to use the swans for a glass-topped table.

Do we know what colors friend is partial to ?

@rina oh so right no sunburst mirror so overplayed. I posted because I like the composition of the room.
Her bird pic with "friends" might be better similar to the decor as seen in the pic carolins posted.

Not mcm though... swans as coffee table base.

The new windows mean it's a good time to redo things, including paint. She needs to take everything out and put back only what is needed.

The living room has twice as much furniture as comfortable. The black chairs are not MCM but they would coordinate well with a simple new sofa (great examples above) with a surfboard coffee table like Ikea's imitation of an Henredon original.

The swan tables provide a quirk. The bookcases are jammed; perhaps there are a few books that could be removed. If not, that's understandable. This is a real house for real people, not a magazine ad for "Mad Men".

True..but she loves them...and down low under glass she can enjoy them without them taking away from the clean lines elsewhere.

My friend likes blue - and the carpet is grey, but she is planning to replace it.

and thank you, everyone for your wonderful ideas!

There is more than one way to do mid-century modern, and honestly, most people's homes probably looked more like this than a Mad Men set. I do think the bird theme is a bit overdone, especially since there is such a mix of styles.

I think the bookcase and credenza are fine--minus most of the doodads, especially the oval pictures. I do like the bowls featured as they are. Books are for reading, so full bookcases don't bother me. I would keep stuff on top to a minimum, and move the porcelain birds. Find a new home and put close together.

The rectangular bird pics could work (such things were widely popular 30s-60s) if arranged in a grid and closer together--perhaps next to or opposite the bookcase. Or move them to the dining room. Or all the little mirrors could be gathered up and arranged in such a way, or perhaps mixed with the birds. That way it would read as a single piece, not a lot of stuff scattered around.

I would also get rid of most of the little tables and such, especially the little one with the vase, and the heavy coffee table. I'm not loving the glass on either. And I would move the chair into the corner where the china hutch is. Can that hutch be moved?

I like the style of the furniture posted above, but they are too large scaled for the space. A loveseat or two side chairs might work better, especially something lightweight and not bulky, like classic Danish modern pieces.

I grew up in a Victorian home where the living room/parlor was half the size of the dining room, and such small rooms are a challenge. Focusing on seating and leaving the rest minimal will help.

Powder blue is not a mid-century living room color--more bathroom and bedroom. I think going with a more neutral color, perhaps even antique white, could work, with pops of electric blue (like the vase) in the pillows could work, maybe even a mod pattern in the drapes with a bit of turquoise, olive green and grey, maybe gold. A grey carpet could work--or maybe you can restore the wood floors? If so, how about an electric blue area rug and the rest pretty neutral?

I agree the present rug is too busy. If you go with a pattern, pick something with less contrast.

I hope the new windows have mullions to divide them into vertical rectangular parts, (Ie a triple window with evenly spaced double-hungs versus a big picture window or a window divided into horizontal grids) or she is going to ruin the character of the Victorian house. One the back, it is not as bad, but it is important to consider the entire house when changing windows, especially so drastically. Victorian houses always emphasized the vertical, especially in the windows, although they were sometimes grouped to create a larger area of glass. Horizontal windows did not come into production until after WWII.

@Evettro -- you're not going to win a lot of fans by resurrecting a three-year-old thread in order to plug your products!!