Brodie Neill Curve Bench

Brodie Neill is a dynamic designer of modern and minimalist furniture that features an expressive approach to function. He plays with seamless, flowing forms while maintaining a sensitivity to the environmental impact of his work. Known for his critically acclaimed pieces that use discarded materials, he always puts the conservation of resources and protection of the environment first.

Born in Tasmania, Neill built furniture as a teenager in his spare time, using any simple tools at his disposal, before studying furniture design at the University of Tasmania. He graduated in 2001 with honors and then completed his master’s degree at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2004. After a successful stint working for leading brands in New York, he established his studio in the East End of London, where he began experimenting with ocean plastics and converting them into eco-friendly furnishings.

His work includes the acclaimed E-Turn chair, the Jet table, the Remix chaise longue and the @ Chair, which was included in Time Magazine’s Design 100. His Flotsam bench, made from plastic waste extracted from the ocean, was one of the innovative furnishings introduced at the 2019 Salone del Mobile in Milan. 

Due to his sustainable design practices, he has been a guest speaker at the European Parliament and the United Nations. Since launching his atelier, Neill has worked with an impressive roster of clients, including Riva 1920, Swarovski and Kundalini, and has collaborated with international brands such as Microsoft, Mercedes-Benz and Alexander McQueen. He has won international design awards and exhibited extensively, including a solo show at the New York fashion showroom of Rubin & Chapelle.

On 1stdibs, find Brodie Neil seating, tables, storage cabinets and more.

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.

Don’t underestimate a good bench — antique and vintage benches are storage pieces, stylish accents and statement-making additional seating.

Today, benches are a great option to maximize seating in your house and outdoor space. The perfect option to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere in foyers and entryways, benches can also transform dining areas, making it possible to host a hungry family with limited space. Whether you’re sprucing up your entertaining with upholstered Empire-style benches or adding more options to a dining room that’s seen a farmhouse makeover, this humble furnishing has only become more versatile over the years. Designers have recognized the demand for a good bench, crafting the convenient seating alternative from a range of materials, including wood, iron and even concrete.

Mid-century modern benches from George Nakashima, Charlotte Perriand and the pared-down Platform bench by George Nelson for Herman Miller are classics of innovation, but maybe you’re looking for an unconventional design approach to your home's seating. Opt for something totally outside the box — an antique pine church-pew bench paired with a vintage wool throw and stationed under the mounted coatrack in your mudroom is a distinctive touch.

For your outdoor oasis, a wrought-iron patio bench is the obvious choice but not the only option. An enclosed back patio would do well to inherit a rattan bench with cushions, but it can be susceptible to weathering and should be covered or moved indoors when not in use.

Whatever your seating arrangement needs are, find vintage, new and antique benches for every space on 1stDibs.