You’ve loved the characters and you’ve laughed and cried with them; now it’s time to explore some Decor Ideas Inspired by Modern Family!

“The hero in my family is my family because of who we are together.”

There are some TV shows that you watch again, and again, and again, and still not feel bored. These are the shows that never fail to cheer you up and leave you feeling all fuzzy inside. We all have some shows like these, and my favorite is Modern Family!

Modern Family ran from 2009 to 2020 and if that doesn’t tell you how popular it is, you should know that it won a whopping 22 Emmy Awards! The entire cast is amazing, the writing is spectacular, and it’s incredibly relatable!

The series follows the lives of three families in suburban Los Angeles, all of them connected through Jay Pritchett, the patriarch. And hence, the series features three awesome houses – each one with its own personality.

We have Phil and Claire, who live with their three kids, Haley, Alex and Luke. Then there’s Claire’s brother, Mitch, who lives with his partner Cam and their daughter Lily. Finally, we have Jay and Gloria, who live with their sons Manny and Joe. Now it’s time to take a closer look at their homes!

Decor Ideas Inspired by Modern Family

Since this show ran for 11 seasons, production designer Richard Berg certainly had his hands full! Over the years, the show had multiple set decorators – Amber Haley, Tara Stephenson, and Brian Kasch – who did an amazing job with all three homes on the show.

Claire and Phil’s home is described as ‘traditional modern’, and it has a sense of organized chaos that is often found in homes with kids. Cameron and Mitchell’s home has a Spanish-style architecture with Asian elements. Jay and Gloria’s home is contemporary and looks more high-end than the other homes.

Neutral base

All the houses use neutrals for their bases, like flooring, furniture and kitchen cabinets. This makes it easy for them to switch up the look for different seasons and festivals, and as the storyline develops. Jay’s home uses darker neutrals, while the other two houses use lighter shades like beige and light brown.

This is a great idea for anyone who’s a little afraid to use color in large quantities. With a neutral base, you can experiment with color and pattern in accessories and furnishings, so you can see what you really like.

Cheerful kids’ rooms

While the main areas of the home are neutral, the kids of Modern Family have rooms that are bright and cheerful! Each room has its own individual style, which matches the personality of its inhabitants.

Haley and Alex share a room, and it has lots of pink and posters with clothes strewn around, typical of a teenage girl’s room. Manny’s room has a more mature color theme, dominated by brown and green. Lilly’s room is a burst of color, with pink dominating. Joe has a room that any car lover would die for, with a car-shaped bed and tire-shaped table!

Kitchen islands

The kitchens in all three homes have kitchen islands, which act as a grounding point in each scene, since the people tend to hang around it. Cam and Mitch got a proper island after their kitchen renovation; before that, they had a kitchen trolley on wheels.

The finish of all the islands are different, though. Jay and Gloria’s kitchen island is topped with an expensive white stone, while Claire and Phil’s island has a practical granite. Cam and Mitch have chosen wood for their island which gives their kitchen a warm vibe.

Table mats and runners

The Modern Family homes in general have a modern, upper-middle-class vibe, and it’s probably why no one seems to use tablecloths. Instead, they prefer table runners and table mats in all three homes.

Table runners and mats are an affordable way to perk up your table, and a fun place to add some bright colors or patterns. Throughout the show, we see different kinds of table mats, and they often match with the season or any holiday.

Bright wall colors

While the furniture and cabinets may be in neutral shades, the walls of the Modern Family homes certainly aren’t! Again, the paint used on the walls is in keeping with the personalities of the people living in the home.

For instance, Phil and Claire go with a more traditional light blue, while Cam and Mitch choose a more unusual bright green. On the other hand, Jay and Gloria’s home has lots of red walls, a good indication of Gloria’s passionate personality!

Colorful stripes

The Modern Family production designer and set decorators certainly love stripes, since they are visible in several places in all three homes, across the eleven seasons! They aren’t boring stripes either – we’ve got stripes in bright colors, often with 4-5 colours appearing together!

Modern Family shows us that stripes can be used pretty much anywhere in your home – bedding, curtains, cushions, upholstery, rugs, and even dishware! Claire and Phil have a striped jug that appears in many scenes featuring their kitchen.

Animal prints

Okay, this is something specific to Jay and Gloria’s home! According to the show’s makers, Jay bought the house after marrying Gloria, so many of the decor decisions are Gloria’s. That’s why she prefers animal prints so much – both in her outfits and in her chairs, cushions and lampshades!

Patterend cushions

Everyone remembers the scene where Jay has to get through a wall of cushions to sleep in his bed! You’ll notice that those cushions are a rich mix of patterns, colors and textures, and they all look very good together!

Besides that, all the other homes have various printed cushions in their home, and these keep changing over the show. Sometimes the cushions appear a little mismatched, but that just adds to that laidback look that’s so charming!

Abstract art

The Modern Family houses have plenty of art, and they’re all unique in their own way. A common theme seems to be abstract art; looks like no one in the family is a great fan of oil paintings or traditional landscapes!

One of the most striking works of art is the Mondrian-esque glass panel near Jay’s front door. Some of the paintings also have stories behind them, such as the one Alex created with her boyfriend and hung up in her home!

Quirky art

While we’re on the subject of art, if you want to truly get the Modern Family aesthetic, you HAVE to include some quirky artwork – even if you have to get a custom mural commissioned by Cam’s friend!

Everyone remembers the mural in Lily’s room, which shows Cam and Mitch as angels, as well as the similar one created for Joe’s nursery. And yes, Barkley also counts as art, although Gloria would disagree!

Holiday decor

The Dunphys, Pritchetts and Tucker-Pritchetts all take their holidays very seriously, and they go all out with festive decor, whether it’s Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas or the Fourth of July. Of course, Claire does go overboard on Halloween, although it’s worth it!

This is where those neutral bases come in handy – it’s easy to switch up seasonal decor or holiday decorations when you don’t have to worry too much about it all looking cohesive. Not that it really matters anyway!

Pin-up boards

Claire appears to be a Type A personality, and she’s obsessed with planning, making lists and organizing. That’s why, despite all the chaos in her home, things still happen properly, and on time! She uses whiteboards and corkboards to help her plan and schedule everyone’s activities.

Others in the family also seem to have a preference for their own kind of boards – Alex has a corkboard in her room, Manny has a pin-up map on his wall and Mitch and Cam have a magnetic pin-up board in the kitchen. Take your pick from these and choose what works for you!

Family photos

One of the most iconic parts of the Dunphy house is the wall by the staircase that has a gallery wall of framed photographs. The makers used real childhood photos of the younger cast members so it would seem more authentic.

Family photos appear in many other places in all three homes – on the walls, on coffee tables, console tables and more. After all, the show is about loving your family, so you need to show it!

Whew, there we go – three houses of the Modern Family show covered! All the houses have many things in common, while also maintaining their own individuality. The family also includes people of various generations, so it’s interesting to see how each house transforms as the family changes and grows. This show probably has the most relatable homes, and that’s another reason it’s so enjoyable!

This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026.

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