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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Nepalese Modern Furniture
Mohair
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Bouclé
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Sandstone
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Gold Plate, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic, Rubber
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine, Marble
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1970s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1990s French Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Resin