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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wood
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Copper
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Laminate
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Burl, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Travertine, Metal
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Fiberglass, Ash
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Other, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s French Modern Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Granite, Marble
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Elm, Burl
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Jute
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
1990s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Afghan Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Bentwood
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s European Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
1930s Czech Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wenge
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Foam, Hardwood, Bouclé, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Afghan Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s European Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s French Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s French Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Crystal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Paper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
2010s Dominican Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Glass