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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wool, Bouclé, Wood, Mohair, Linen, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Limestone
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1920s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
Mid-20th Century European Modern Furniture
Wood, Canvas
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Faux Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble, Limestone, Granite, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Walnut, Oak, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Mirror
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Furniture
Leather, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Statuary Marble, Travertine, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Czech Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Plywood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather
Early 20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Silk, Paint, Paper
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
Early 2000s Irish Modern Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel