Modern Furniture
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Canvas
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
Late 18th Century French Antique Modern Furniture
Canvas
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Earthenware
2010s French Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
1970s North American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Furniture
Wood, Fabric, Foam
2010s French Modern Furniture
Foam, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Fabric, Foam
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Fabric, Foam
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
Early 2000s Finnish Modern Furniture
Birch, Fabric
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
1940s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Seagrass, Walnut
2010s French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Earthenware
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fur, Fabric, Bouclé, Faux Fur, Sheepskin, Wool, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cut Steel
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Resin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Cotton, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Straw, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Foam, Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut