Girado Dining Chair

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.

Introduce warmth and a welcoming atmosphere to meals in your home with an antique, new or vintage dining room set.

From the “less is more” approach of Scandinavian modern dining room sets, which are typically characterized by muted colors, clean lines and an emphasis on organic material, to rustic-chic farmhouse-style suppers to the pronounced geometric angles and dark woods of Art Deco, there are numerous directions to pursue when shopping for a dining room set.

No matter how much real estate you have to work with, the dining table will play an integral role in the elegant space where the whole family or your closest friends create new memories and mark momentous occasions. But be sure of your space before you buy and keep the rest of your decor scheme in mind: For a modest-sized room, you’ll want to consider the shape and style of your table to ensure that guests can easily move around and into the kitchen as needed. A set of widely loved Series 7 chairs, designed by mid-century modern architect Arne Jacobsen, paired with one of his streamlined dining room tables, for example, will surely have a small footprint in your dining area, while an antique mahogany dining room set originating during the Victorian era will bring sophistication and formality to your parties of 12 or more.

There are lots of dining room design ideas you can put into practice — get started today with a variety of antique, new or vintage dining room sets on 1stDibs.