Modern Benches
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Bronze
2010s American Modern Benches
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Benches
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Benches
Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Benches
Maple
1980s French Vintage Modern Benches
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Benches
Lapis Lazuli
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Benches
Wood
2010s American Modern Benches
Walnut
2010s Belgian Modern Benches
Granite
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Leather
2010s Japanese Modern Benches
Wood
2010s Canadian Modern Benches
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Benches
Leather, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Wood, Cedar
2010s European Modern Benches
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Benches
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Benches
Bronze, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Brass
2010s American Modern Benches
Ash
1980s American Vintage Modern Benches
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Oak
2010s American Modern Benches
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Benches
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Brass
2010s American Modern Benches
Iron, Wrought Iron, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Benches
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Wood, Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Benches
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Leather, Suede, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Benches
Chrome
2010s Mexican Modern Benches
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Polystyrene, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Benches
Cedar
2010s South Korean Modern Benches
Wood
2010s American Modern Benches
Velvet, Faux Fur
20th Century American Modern Benches
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Benches
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Benches
Other
2010s American Modern Benches
Teak, Lacquer
20th Century French Modern Benches
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Steel
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Benches
Other
2010s British Modern Benches
Nylon
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Iron