Modern Boxes
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Coral
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Coral
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Coral
2010s Thai Modern Boxes
Faux Leather
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Rock Crystal, Nickel
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Gold
2010s Thai Modern Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Wood
2010s Thai Modern Boxes
Faux Leather
2010s Thai Modern Boxes
Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Boxes
Horn, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Enamel, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Boxes
Wood
1990s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Enamel, Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver, Enamel
1970s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Chrome
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Wood
1940s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Boxes
Copper
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Other
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Polyester, Wood
2010s Modern Boxes
Shell, Wood
2010s Belgian Modern Boxes
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Boxes
Chestnut
1990s French Modern Boxes
Stone, Metal
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Polyester, Wood
2010s English Modern Boxes
Acrylic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Polyester, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Polyester, Wood
2010s English Modern Boxes
Acrylic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Shell
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Marble
2010s English Modern Boxes
Wood, Acrylic
Early 2000s French Modern Boxes
Ceramic
2010s English Modern Boxes
Acrylic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Boxes
Bone, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Polyester, Wood
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
2010s Danish Modern Boxes
Metal, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass