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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Cherry
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s French Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Leather, Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Plywood
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Bouclé
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Crystal
Early 2000s Irish Modern Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s European Modern Furniture
Mirror
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Danish Modern Furniture
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
Early 2000s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Other, Iron
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Beech
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Foam, Paint, Acrylic
Early 2000s Czech Modern Furniture
Bentwood
2010s French Modern Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s English Modern Furniture
Mirror
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Bronze, Enamel
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s German Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s European Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal