Modern Sofas
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Foam
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet
2010s European Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s European Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s European Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Sofas
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sofas
Sheepskin
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s Modern Sofas
Brass
2010s Modern Sofas
Bronze
2010s Turkish Modern Sofas
Brass
2010s Modern Sofas
Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Sofas
Leather
1980s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
1940s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Faux Leather
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Faux Leather
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
1970s European Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet, Fiberglass
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Faux Leather
1970s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Elm
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Chrome
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
2010s European Modern Sofas
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Plastic, Polyester, Rubber
1970s Dutch Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Wool, Walnut
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Damask, Silk, Upholstery, Wood, Trimming, Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Steel