Modern Sofas
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Walnut
Late 20th Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Suede
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Ash, Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Ash, Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Oak
1990s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Mohair, Wood
20th Century North American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Oak, Velvet
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Oak
2010s English Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1980s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Lacquer, Velvet, Mohair, Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Wood, Mahogany
1960s Norwegian Vintage Modern Sofas
Faux Leather, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s German Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Sofas
Wood, Velvet, Foam
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Chenille, Wool, Oak, Faux Fur
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
2010s German Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Metal