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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Furniture
Composition
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Mirror, Maple
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver Plate, Brass
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Furniture
Bronze
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Brass, Chrome
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1970s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Pine
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Stone, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
1990s Swedish Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Porcelain, Hardwood
1990s Swedish Modern Furniture
Art Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Teak
1970s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Pottery
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Agate, Lapis Lazuli, Rock Crystal, Silver
1940s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Oak
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Furniture
Iron
Late 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Leather, Beech
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century German Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic, Oak
1990s Dutch Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
1930s Czech Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Stoneware
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1990s German Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany