Modern Bookcases
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
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Style: Modern
Matassa Large Bookcase in Black Iron Rebar, by Luigi Semeraro
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This Matassa bookshelf with structure in iron rebar is varnished in white or black, with shelves in flamed oak, Canaletto walnut or lacquered in black or white. Available in two different heights and sizes. Here you are shown the Matassa bookcases in black iron rebar, in the large size.
Luigi Semeraro, born in Varese in 1978, product and interior designer, graduated at Design University, Politecnico di Milano. During the training, he enriches his academic and professional experiences in Italy and abroad, ranging from product to graphic design. He begins his career as a designer, realizing with a team the project “Piu YIU”, Chinese temporary restaurant, presented at the Dining Contest of “Salon Satellite” in 2004, in collaboration with Sawaya and Moroni...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Iron
Vintage Cabinets by František Jirák for Tatra Nábytok Pravenec
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Vintage cabinets by František Jirák for Tatra nábytok Pravenec.
Closet 75 x 107 x 40
Wardrobe 169 x 110 x 48
Bookcase 158 x 110x 44.
Category
1960s Slovak Vintage Modern Bookcases
Materials
Wood
21st Century Modern Steel White Bookshelves Wave Made in Italy
Located in Sant'Elena, IT
The Wave series is the result of a gesture, a natural movement that gives birth to sinuous and minimal forms without neglecting the functionality of the object. It consists of wall s...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Steel
FF Grid Shelving 1
By Simon Johns
Located in East-Bolton, Quebec
A slender tower-like sculptural bookcase, made from a rigid hand polished aluminum structure. Through the grid-like structure, a cast form of the collection's signature texture flows continuously through the layers. The polishing of the aluminum creates illusions of transparency on the outside, and interiors that glow, reflecting the light from the room.
*Note: The model pictured has been sold, but commissions are available.
About the Future Fossils Collection...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Aluminum
Contempoary by Kostas Syrtariotis Bookcase Wood
By Interna8
Located in Pordenone, IT
Booktree is a bookcase for your home, a natural presence growing on the wall. It can live alone but prefers to host on its branches books, varius objects and memories, with silency d...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Wood
Glass and Walnut Wood Horizontal Wall Cabinet
Located in Boston, MA
The Alambra suspended display case designed by Giuseppe Bavuso is equipped with an exclusive invisible mechanism for the opening of the flap door, specifically designed for this refi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Walnut, Glass
Glass and Walnut Wood Vertical Wall Cabinet
Located in Boston, MA
The Alambra wall unit designed by Giuseppe Bavuso is made with walnut veneered drawers characterized by traditional "dove tail joint" manufacturi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Leather, Glass, Walnut
Pair of Modern Stainless Steel and Brass Bookshelf Stands Italy, 1970's
By Romeo Rega
Located in North York, ON
Pair of Modern stainless steel and brass bookshelf stands Italy 1970's. In the style of Romeo Rega. All original in good condition, wear consistent wit...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Bookcases
Materials
Brass, Stainless Steel
Monument, Black Ash Wood and Travertin by Mathieu Girard for La Chance
By M. Girard
Located in FR
Monument is a collection of shelving units that combines wood and marble. This piece was imagined by Mathieu Girard and Gauthier Pouillart of Atelier Cocorico.
The visual strength a...
Category
2010s French Modern Bookcases
Materials
Marble
Italian Contemporary Design Black Marble and Oak Wood Wardrobe
By DD Dimore
Located in Brescia, IT
This gorgeous wardrobe is entirely hand made in every part by a team of master Italian craftsmans.
The structure is realized in dark brown colored oak. The sliding doors are finishe...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Marble
4 Shelves Bookcase American Walnut Molteni&C by Yasuhito Itoh - MHC.2
By Molteni & C
Located in New York, NY
MHC.2 Four Shelves Bookcase by Yasuhito Itoh. Expert-crafted in Italy exclusively by Molteni&C.
An eye-catching piece, this 4-shelf bookshelf by Yasu...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Walnut
Contemporary Bookcase Lacquered, Veneer Oak/Walnut
Located in New York, NY
Modular bookcase that is available in various sizes. It consists of shelves, back panels and fronts in the shape of a cross. The back panels and the shelves can be either wood veneer...
Category
2010s European Modern Bookcases
Materials
Lacquer, Wood
Milonga Bookcase in Lacquered Iron with Flamed Oak Shelves by Paolo Cappello
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Milonga is a bookcase with long legs, set with a delicate cadence between spaces. Either as a partition between rooms or, more traditionally, against a wall, this is an indispensable piece for organizing your home library. As well as being technical, Milonga is bold and distinctive, and plays on the colours of the tubes and the layout of the shelves. Indeed, it is the sequence of the shelves that gives the bookcase its sense of movement, echoing the rhythm of the lines printed in the exercise books of our childhood.
Bookshelf with structure in iron rebar lacquered in the listed colours. Shelves in flamed oak...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Iron
Musa Ivory Bookcase
Located in Milan, IT
Intersecting elements arranged in impeccable harmony define the airy and dynamic silhouette of this bookcase, a superb design whose prized materials make it a plush accent in professional contexts or living rooms. The rectangular-cut, cylindrical metallic structure is upholstered in ivory leather and equipped with four crystal clear shelves...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Leather
FF Void Shelving 1
By Simon Johns
Located in East-Bolton, Quebec
A slender tower-like sculptural bookcase, with a continuous cavernous void that rises through a rigid structure. The hand polished aluminum reflects light from the room onto the interior of the piece, highlighting the collections signature texture, while also creating illusions of transparency through reflection.
About the Future Fossils Collection...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Aluminum
Danese Milano Archivio Vivo Large Book Stand in White Aluminum by James Irvine
Located in Hicksville, NY
Archivio vivo is a bookstand that is available in two versions. The first version is freestanding and can be placed on a table or desk whereas the second can be fixed to the wall. Th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Aluminum
Danese Milano Archivio Vivo Small Book Stand in Blue Aluminum by James Irvine
Located in Hicksville, NY
Archivio vivo is a bookstand that is available in two versions. The first version is freestanding and can be placed on a table or desk whereas the second can be fixed to the wall. Th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Aluminum
21st Century Modern Bookshelf with Agglomerated Wood Top Ethrio Made in Italy
Located in Sant'Elena, IT
This is a very flexible shelving system that can suit any type of space. With a simple shifting in the assembling of the shelves, a variety of possible configurations is available, d...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Steel
Elegant Tall Brass and White Laquer Etagere with 2 Drawers
Located in Hopewell, NJ
A sleek stylish modern tall etagere bookcase having a sexy mix of brass, white lacquer and 4 smoky glass shelves. There are two roomy drawers on the botto...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bookcases
Materials
Brass
Baleri Italia Mac Gee Bookshelf in White Steel by Philippe Starck
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Mac Gee is the essence of a bookshelf. Philippe Starck cleaned and cleaned the structure to only keep the square root, the skeleton of a bookshelf. Therefore avoiding styles, the tim...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Steel
Bear, White Polar Bear Bookshelf, Made in France
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Scroll down and click "view all from Seller" to see more than 500 other unique products. (2)
The polar bear that is in perfect harmony with its function as bookshelves, gets heavier...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Bookcases
Materials
Wood, Laminate
Modern Zebra Wood Chrome Glass Jewelry Closet Display Counter Case with Drawer
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Modern zebra wood chrome glass jewelry closet display counter case with drawer. Item features chrome base, glass top, display surface, beautiful wood...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bookcases
Materials
Glass, Zebra Wood
Modern Bookcase with Shelves in Walnut Wood and Brushed Brass
Located in Vila Nova Famalicão, PT
The "Bookcase ExCentric 2.0" listed here is made in walnut wood and brushed brass. However, we can also produce this in customized options:
Structure: Stainless steel (polished or b...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal, Brass, Steel, Stainless Steel, Cut Steel
Kartell Adam Wood Bookcase
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Adam Wood is Kartell’s first real bookcase for living areas. The shapes of its curved wooden shelves and 3-D painted steel frame have been optimised by CAD s...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Aluminum
21st Century Modern Bookshelf with Agglomerated Wood Top Ethrio Made in Italy
Located in Sant'Elena, IT
This is a very flexible shelving system that can suit any type of space. With a simple shifting in the assembling of the shelves, a variety of possible configurations is available, d...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Steel
Set of 5 Strut Shelves from Souda, 116in, Black, Extra Long, Made to Order
By Souda
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Price on this configuration includes 5 116" shelves and 20 brackets. This shelving system is really easy to customize: we offer multiple wood finishes, bracket finishes, and we can a...
Category
2010s American Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal, Steel
Kartell Bookworm in White
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Bookworm, the flexible bookcase, is the result of the encounter between the creativity of an artist such as Ron Arad, combined with Kartell's technology, giving life to a revolutiona...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Plastic
Lucite / Bamboo / Glass Etagere in the Style of Karl Springer
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A very well crafted Etagere with clear Lucite posts straddled by hardened bamboo pieces woven to each corner making for nice detailed construction . Five glass shelves that include t...
Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Bookcases
Materials
Bamboo, Glass, Lucite
Aria Bookcase / Space Divider
By Chendù
Located in Milan, IT
Iron and i-Mesh® bookcase and space divider, Aria separates without closing, moves and organizes the rooms leaving them in communication with each other....
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Iron
Modern Minimalist Bookcase with Shelves in Walnut Wood and Brushed Brass
Located in Vila Nova Famalicão, PT
The "Bookcase ExCentric 2.0" listed here is a Showroom Sample made in walnut wood and brushed brass.
It's also available an Executive Desk from the same collection, with the same ma...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Bookcases
Materials
Cut Steel, Metal, Brass
Mondrian Mid-Century Modern Bookcase, Unique Piece
Located in Miami, FL
Mondrian Mid-Century Modern bookcase, unique piece. In the taste of Mondrian, 1940.
Category
Mid-20th Century European Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal
Ego Hexagonal Modular Shelf
By Chendù
Located in Milan, IT
Pink Moon is a multifunctional, linear, refined and attractive furnishing accessory. It contains in a single two versions of itself for two complementary uses. In lacquered iron and ...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Iron
Contemporary Shelve Unit by Johan Viladrich, Collectible Design, 2020, Rotterdam
Located in Antwerp, BE
Collectible design; Contemporary; Johan Viladrich; Functional Art; Polyethylene; Sabine Marcelis; Everyday Gallery; French design; Art; Bookcase; Office furniture; Store furniture...
Category
2010s French Modern Bookcases
Materials
Plastic
QUANTUM Large Bookshelf, by Piero Lissoni for Glas Italia
Located in Macherio, IT
Bookcases made of boxes of different sizes in transparent 10 mm extralight tempered glass, glued at 45° and deliberately overlapped in a misaligned and irregular way.
Available with...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Glass
Modern by Carpanelli Gae Bookcase in wood and leather
By Carpanelli
Located in Desio, IT
"Gae" modular bookcase is inspired by the volumes of Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan. The materials used for the compositions are precious woods such as light Tay, Dark Tay, Canaletto Wa...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal
Thin Book Ends in Contemporary Bronze and Steel in various Patinas
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Thin bookends explore a miniature variation of Kin & Company’s iconic Thin Chair. Beautifully paired with books, plants, or small accessories, the Thin ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bookcases
Materials
Brass, Steel
NOBRE Bookcase Lacquered in Custom Colors
Located in Frazão, Porto
The versatile Nobre bookcase can be used on the wall or as a room separator. Made of solid wood, Nobre is available in any lacquer or veneered wood colo...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Bookcases
Materials
Brass, Stainless Steel
Contemporary Bookcase Floor to Ceiling Storage Unit Brass Marble Bookshelf
Located in Milan, IT
Bookcase 01
Floor to ceiling bookcase featuring 3 back-painted glass doors colored in cold tones, marble or onyx top, lacquered wooden interior and brass shelving. Each of the three...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Marble, Brass
Casey Lurie Modern Low "Primo" Shelving System in White Oak with Stainless Steel
By Casey Lurie
Located in Chicago, IL
“Shelving can be the most mundane thing you own, or it can be the beautiful bones of a room, as pleasing to see as anything it displays. Casey Lurie’s Primo system would be the latter.”
William L. Hamilton, The Wall Street Journal
The Primo shelving...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bookcases
Materials
Stainless Steel, Brass, Metal
Contemporary Floor to Ceiling Bookshelf Bookcase Storage Unit Brass Metal
Located in Milan, IT
Bookcase 02
Floor to ceiling bookcase entirely made of brass. The structure has no visible joints or screws becoming an asymmetric shape that merges organ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Brass
Contemporary Half Moon Etagere
Located in Westwood, NJ
A contemporary-style half-moon etagere with a light and airy design. The tall frame has been given a high polished gold finish and surrounds each of the six...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal
Simply Modern Bookcase
Located in Westwood, NJ
An elegant modern open bookcase with a lacquered interior, leather-wrapped drawers and our Cardamon finish frame and handles, with brushed brass f...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Bookcases
Materials
Leather, Wood
Molteni&C MHC.2 Bookcase with 3 Shelves in American Walnut by Yasuhito Itoh
By Molteni & C
Located in New York, NY
MHC.1 Three Shelves Bookcase in American Walnut by Yasuhito Itoh.
Expert-crafted in Italy exclusively by Molteni&C.
An eye-catching piece, the MHC.1 3-shelf bookshelf...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Walnut
Lensvelt Job Cabinet
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Cabinet
Lensvelt Job cabinet red, an archetype of the Classic storage cabinet designed by Studio Job, with a special twist. The case has a gigantic gold-colored key that gives the...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Bookcases
Materials
Steel
Opinion Ciatti La Gabbia Shelving Unit
Located in Brooklyn, NY
La Gabbia, Lapo Ciatti's storage cabinet is a sculptural element of scenic impact made of metal and aluminum, embellished with 24 glossy studs. La Gabbia is a practical organizer equ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Aluminum, Metal
Kartell Medium Bookworm Bookcase in Aluminum by Ron Arad
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An artist's creativity combined with a great company’s technology results in to a bookcase design of Industrial scale that can rightfully be considered the world’s most daring and re...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Plastic
21st Century Modern Bookshelf with Agglomerated Wood Top Ethrio Made in Italy
Located in Sant'Elena, IT
This is a very flexible shelving system that can suit any type of space. With a simple shifting in the assembling of the shelves, a variety of possible configurations is available, d...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Steel
Apollo Console, Bookshelf, Black Aluminium Frame, Oxidised Brass by Lara Bohinc
By Lara Bohinc
Located in Holland, AMSTERDAM
The Apollo console is a playful expression of loops and semi-circular arcs in galvanised steel metalwork, which combine to form a light and versatile st...
Category
2010s Portuguese Modern Bookcases
Materials
Brass, Metal
Danese Milano Bincan Leggio Book Stand A3 in White by Naoto Fukasawa
Located in Hicksville, NY
Bincan leggio is part of the Bincan collection, which was designed for the work place and can be adapted to any environment whether internal or external, public or private. The lecte...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal
Set of 2 Strut Shelves from Souda, 52in, Black, Made to Order
By Souda
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Price on this configuration includes 2 52" Shelves & 4 Brackets. This shelving system is really easy to customize: we offer multiple wood finishes, bracket ...
Category
2010s American Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal, Steel
Set of 4 Strut Shelves from Souda, 84in, Modern White Wood Wall Shelf/Bookcase
By Souda
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Price includes 4 84" long shelves with 12 white brackets. This shelving system is really easy to customize: we offer multiple wood finishes, bracket fin...
Category
2010s American Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal, Steel
Set of 4 Strut Shelves from Souda, 84in, Black, Made to Order
By Souda
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Price on this configuration includes 4 84" Shelves & 12 Brackets. This shelving system is really easy to customize: we offer multiple wood finishes, bracket finishes, and we can adju...
Category
2010s American Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal, Steel
Spino Stand Alone Bookshelf / Coat Hanger in Hand Treated Iron by Mario Milana
By Mario Milana
Located in Milano, Lombardia
The structure of the Spino is created from a laser-cut bent iron sheet. The iron itself is hand treated with a special oxidized finish, and is available in matte or glossy finish. Wh...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Iron
Musa Brown Bookcase
Located in Milan, IT
An elegant piece that can serve as a room divider and bookcase, this superb design allows to store books and display collectibles on four crystal shelves (clear, bronzed, or smoked) ...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Leather
Contemporary Bookcase Floor to Ceiling Storage Unit Brass Marble Bookshelf
Located in Milan, IT
Bookcase 01
Floor to ceiling bookcase featuring 3 back-painted glass doors colored in neutral tones, marble or onyx top, lacquered wooden interior and brass shelving. Each of the th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Carrara Marble, Brass
Connect Bookcase or Shelf Customizable in Blackened Steel and Polished Bronze
Located in Vancouver, BC
The Connect bookcase is designed to express the process by which each piece is created, with visible construction and fastening details that are integral to the final piece. Traditional joinery techniques are used in conjunction with mass manufacturing technology to create this unique metal cabinetry...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Bronze, Steel
Italian Modern Square Bookcase in Glass and Aluminum
Located in Boston, MA
The Sixty bookcase, designed by Giuseppe Bavuso, is a bookcase with a sleek design characterized by the invisible round joints connecting its structure and shelves.
Structure made ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Aluminum
Nendo Small Drop Bookcase in Matte Lacquered Laser-Cut Sheet Metal by Cappellini
By Cappellini, Nendo
Located in New York, NY
An ingenious challenge against the force of gravity, the Drop, by Nendo, is a two-sided column bookshelf offered in 3 different heights. The Drop bookshelves are made of Matte lacque...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
Materials
Metal
Modern bookcases for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Modern bookcases for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage bookcases created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets, more furniture and collectibles, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Modern bookcases made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and Denmark pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original bookcases, popular names associated with this style include DeCastelli, Kartell, Souda, and Danese Milano. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for bookcases differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $120 and tops out at $96,530 while the average work can sell for $3,910.
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