Modern Furniture

MODERN STYLE

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”

Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.

Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.

It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.

Style: Modern

Creator: Rug & Kilim

Rug & Kilim's Distressed style Modern rug in Gold, Beige Abstract pattern

Modern Furniture

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Distressed style Modern rug in Gold, Beige Abstract pattern

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Rug in Polychromatic Ombre Design

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Kilim Rug in a Golden, Brown Geometric Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Scandinavian Style Kilim Rug in Gray, Red & Pink

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Unshaped Abstract Rug in Gold, Gray and Blue

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Rug in All over Brown-Black, White Abstract Pattern

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim with Textural Cream White and Black Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Hand-Knotted Abstract Rug in Blue, Beige-Brown Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Contemporary Geometric Pink and Grey Wool-Silk Abstract Rug

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Square Kilim with Textural Beige and Blue Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Art Deco Cream Beige and Brown Wool and Silk Floral Rug

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Custom Rug in Beige-Brown, with Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Abstract Rug In An All Over Geometric Pattern

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim in Seafoam Textural Stripes

2010s Chinese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s European Style Needlepoint Rug in Beige with Floral Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Dhurrie Rug in Black and Red Medallions and Stripes

2010s Chinese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s European Style Pictorial Tapestry in Beige-Brown, Green and Pink

2010s Chinese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Aubusson Style Flatweave Rug with an Open Field and Floral Pattern

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Square Kilim in Beige and Orange Stripes

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim in Ivory White and Blue Textural Stripes

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Square Kilim in Turquoise and Beige Textural Stripes

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim in Gold and Blue Textural Stripes

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim in Ivory White and Blue Textural Stripes

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim with Textural Cream White and Black Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Persian Sultanabad Style Rug with Beige-Brown Floral Patterns

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim in White, Beige and Gray Textural Stripes

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim in Beige and Gray Textural Stripes

2010s Chinese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Classic Agra style rug in Beige-Brown and Red Floral Cartouches

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim with Textural Beige Stripes

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim in Beige-Brown and Orange Textural Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Contemporary Striped Flat Weave, Cream, Beige Brown Pattern

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim with Gray Textural Stripes and Beige Accents

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Classics Rug in Beige with Brown Geometric Patterns

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim with Textural Beige and Blue Stripes

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim with Textural Cream White and Black Stripes

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim with Textural Blue White and Gray Stripes

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim in Beige and Gray Textural Stripes

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim with Textural Cream White and Black Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Dhurrie Rug in Brown and White Stripes

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture