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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Agate, Lapis Lazuli, Rock Crystal, Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Zebra Hide, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Straw, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Rattan
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Foam, Wood, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Afghan Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Marble, Travertine, Onyx, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Palisander
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Glass
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Upholstery, Down
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic, Oak
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood