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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paint, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
2010s English Modern Furniture
Earthenware
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal, Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn, Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s South African Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak, Mirror
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Marble
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak, Wenge, Sapele Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Limestone, Iron
2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Teak, Upholstery, Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Faux Leather, Walnut, Bentwood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Acrylic, Polyester
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Teak, Rope, Rattan, Synthetic
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Cane, Glass, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Walnut