Lucite Is the Trending Furniture with Lasting Appeal—Designers Reveal Top Styling Tips

While making the rounds at High Point Furniture Market—the epicenter of the American furniture trade—this spring, we couldn’t help but notice how many showrooms had clear acrylic furniture on display. The material, originally developed in the 1930s and trademarked as Lucite by DuPont, became wildly popular in furniture design during the midcentury era, when space-age futurism was all the rage. Designers like Charles Hollis Jones and Vladimir Kagan favored the way this clear, moldable resin could be bent into curvaceous forms and was more durable than glass. It also paired perfectly with other reflective materials, like chrome and brass, that were popular at that time.

As with all things in decor, Lucite’s popularity has ebbed and flowed in the decades since. But today it is firmly considered “forever style” by interior designers and works across a range of aesthetics, from champions of modernism to those who favor the warmth of traditionalism. We've asked six experts for their top tips for decorating with this enduring decor.

How Designers Are Decorating with Lucite Now

Invisible Touch

Consider how designer Brittany Bromley tucked an acrylic table in a bay window, in a fanciful parlor surrounded by bucolic wallpaper and blue and white china. Blink and you just might miss it! “This is a spot where you can find children doing puzzles, homework, or the family playing cards,” she says. “We wanted to preserve the view, so Lucite was the perfect choice because it allowed us to use a piece of furniture for functional purposes, but the form allowed your eye to carry through!”

Mingle acrylic furniture with upholstery, as she did with slipcovered chairs. "The juxtaposition between the two is what makes it most interesting. It can feel cold if used with wood or metal," she explains.

Stark Contrast

Of course, sometimes the sleekness of Lucite with metal accents is exactly what a room needs. That was the case for interior designer Kendall Wilkinson, who used a vintage 1970s chair to upend the classical elements of her San Francisco living room. "I love contrast—playing with formality and ease, old and new," she says, noting that the chair, with its sleek metal legs, feels "sculptural but quiet, which is perfect in a room with strong architectural detailing."

"Start with one piece and let it punctuate the space," Wilkinson says. "Lucite brings in lightness and a modern edge, especially in rooms with traditional detailing. It's such a great reminder that elegance doesn’t always have to be heavy."

Hint of Structure

"Lucite can be a great way to incorporate structure without heaviness," says interior designer Kirstin Badolato of Kristin Ashley Interiors, noting it can also keep a room from feeling hooked on one era. It was the ideal choice for this lush green dining room, which she designed for the Mansion in May show house in Morris County, NJ—a showcase that benefits the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center. "The design is rooted in traditional elegance, but I layered in more modern moments to keep it feeling current and timeless."

Badolato drew on the room's garden view when lining the walls with a chinoiserie-style Gracie wallpaper and then opted for the acrylic console table as a resting spot for lamps without obstructing the pattern (as a solid sideboard would have). "Its transparency adds a sense of lightness and keeps the hand-painted details uninterrupted, while still offering practical function," she says. "I was especially drawn to the juxtaposition of materials—the sleek, airy Lucite paired with the rich, organic burl wood of the dining table," she says.

"Lucite is especially useful in spaces where you want to maintain openness or highlight other standout elements like artwork, wallpaper, or architectural features," says Badolato. "I’d recommend using it thoughtfully, balancing it with pattern, materials, and accents that add interest."

Sense of Openness

Interior designer Rayman Boozer of Apartment 48 chose a lucite coffee for his New York City apartment. "I wanted to see as much of The Rug Company rug as possible!" he explains.

Celebrated for his use of color, Boozer saturated the room in bold hues, carrying the color from the rug into throw pillows and surface tones: Benjamin Moore Sea Life on the walls and Ol' Blue Eyes on the built-in bookshelves. He was keenly aware that an opaque coffee table would clutter the center of the room and cloud the view. It's a clever trick to try in small spaces where you don't want the room to feel cramped with furniture.

"You should plan to style Lucite table tops with an assortment of accessories (books, objects, trays, etc.) so that the table doesn't disappear," he says.

Trick of the Eye

That's not to say that decorating with acrylic furniture is limited to tables and chairs. Interior designer Paloma Contreras opted for a four-poster bed with transparent posters for this Palm Beach bedroom to add a feeling of height to the room without taking up too much visual space. "Lucite felt like the perfect choice for the pastel color palette and airy feel of the room," she says.

"The key thing to remember with Lucite is to use it sparingly. It helps to pair it with other materials and finishes that imbue the space with a sense of warmth in order to balance out the look." She does just that with an earthy jute rug and rattan-wrapped bedside table.

Where to Find Lucite Furniture

We spotted several pieces at High Point, NC, furniture showrooms like Chelsea House, Highland House, and Made Goods, to name but a few. These are top sources for interior designers and brands that routinely drive trends. On the retail side, you can always count on purveyors of midcentury decor, like Jonathan Adler, Design Within Reach, and CB2. Also, be sure to check out online consignment platforms like Chairish and 1stDibs, where original pieces from the 1960s and 1970s are highly collectible. Vary your search terms between Lucite and "acrylic" for maximum results.

Cleaning Lucite Furniture

"Skip the Windex and paper towels! They can scratch the surface and cause clouding over time," advises Wilkinson, who used to design and sell her own Lucite furniture in the 1990s. She recommends using a damp microfiber cloth for routine dusting, adding warm water with a drop of gentle soap for any sticky residue. "Never use anything abrasive or with solvents like ammonia," she notes.