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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bronze, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
Late 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Leather, Beech
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Moldovan Modern Furniture
Epoxy Resin
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Tapestry, Mohair, Cotton, Wood, Down, Feathers
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Textile
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic, Oak
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal, Gold, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Maple
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Slate, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut, Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Austrian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Mirror
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1970s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
1940s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Oak
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak