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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Marble
1990s British Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Oak
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Sandstone
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Linen, Fiberglass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Gold Plate, Enamel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Glass, Oak, Wenge
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Leather, Foam, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash