21st Century Modern Curved Sofa
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Living Room Sets
Brass
2010s Italian Organic Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
2010s European Modern Sofas
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Poplar, Down
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Organic Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Art Deco Sofas
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Streamlined Moderne Sofas
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal, Aluminum, Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal, Aluminum, Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal, Aluminum, Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal, Aluminum, Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal, Aluminum, Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Steel, Cut Steel, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal, Aluminum, Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Organic Modern Sofas
Fabric, Velvet, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Trimming, Velvet, Foam, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Steel, Brass, Cut Steel, Copper, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Steel, Brass, Copper, Stainless Steel, Cut Steel
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21st Century Modern Curved Sofa For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a 21st Century Modern Curved Sofa?
A Close Look at 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.
Finding the Right sofas for You
Black leather, silk velvet cushions, breathable bouclé fabric — when shopping for antique, new or vintage sofas, today’s couch connoisseurs have much to choose from in terms of style and shape. But it wasn’t always thus.
The sofa is typically defined as a long upholstered seat that features a back and arms and is intended for two or more people. While the term “couch” comes from the Old French couche, meaning to lie down, and sofa has Eastern origins, both are forms of divan, a Turkish word that means an elongated cushioned seat. No matter how you spell it, sofa just means comfort, at least it does today.
In the early days of sofa design, upholstery consisted of horsehair or dried moss. Sofas that originated in countries such as France during the 17th century were more integral to decor than they were to comfort. Like most Baroque furnishings from the region, they frequently comprised heavy, gilded mahogany frames and were upholstered in floral Beauvais tapestry. Today, options abound when it comes to style and material, with authentic leather offerings and classy steel settees. Plush, velvet chesterfields represent the platonic ideal of coziness.
Vladimir Kagan’s iconic sofa designs, such as the Crescent and the Serpentine — which, like the sectional sofas of the 1960s created by furniture makers such as Harvey Probber, are quite popular among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — showcase the spectrum of style available to modern consumers. Those looking to make a statement can turn to Studio 65’s lip-shaped Bocca sofa, which was inspired by the work of Salvador Dalí. Elsewhere, the furniture of the 1970s evokes an era when experimentation ruled, or at least provided a reason to break the rules. Just about every area of society felt a sudden urge to be wayward, to push boundaries — and buttons. Vintage leather sofas of that decade are characterized by a rare blending of the showy and organic.
With so many options, it’s important to explore and find the perfect furniture for your space. Paying attention to the lines of the cushions as well as the flow from the backrest into the arms is crucial to identifying a cohesive new piece for your home or office.
Fortunately, with styles from every era — and even round sofas — there’s a luxurious piece for every space. Deck out your living room with an Art Deco lounge or go retro with a nostalgic '80s design. No matter your sitting vision, the right piece is waiting for you in the expansive collection of unique sofas on 1stDibs.
Read More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Eileen Gray’s Famed Cliffside Villa in the South of France Is Returned to Its Modernist Glory
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.
See How New York City Designers Experiment on Their Own Homes
There are many lessons to be learned from the lofts, apartments and townhouses of architects and decorators in Manhattan and beyond.
Why Drew McGukin’s Colorful Home Differs from Those of His Clients
The New York–based designer has a high-impact style that's all his own, as his loft in the Chelsea Flower District makes abundantly clear.
Jeff Andrews Captures Old Hollywood Glamour in His Cinematic Spaces
Having created extravagant homes for reality TV’s biggest stars, the designer is stepping into the spotlight with his first book.
New Orleans’ Lee Ledbetter Makes Design Magic by Mixing Past and Present
The Louisiana-born and -bred architect talks to 1stdibs about the art of making timeless places that matter.
How a Modernist Hamptons Home on the Water Became the Ideal Weekend Refuge
Damon Liss and Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects collaborated on this serene getaway for a minimalism-minded Manhattan family of four.
Desert Modern Designer Arthur Elrod Finally Gets His Day in the Sun
The Palm Springs interior decorator developed a mid-century style that defined the vacation homes of celebrities and other notables, including Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.