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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
$1,353 / item
Walnut Do-Ri Tray by Matthias Scherzinger
Located in Geneve, CH
Walnut Do-Ri tray by Matthias Scherzinger. Dimensions: L 47.4 x W 19.8 x H 6.5 cm. Materials: Europe walnut lacquered inside tin: hard wax. Also available in olive ash and Eur...
Walnut
Set of 2 White Ash Nun Vases by Matthias Scherzinger
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 white ash nun vases by Matthias Scherzinger. Limited edition of 30 pieces, each colour each size. Engraved brass-label with number. Dimensions: Small: L 14.5 x W 14.5 x 4...
Ash
$2,196 / item
Small Acacia Nun Vase by Matthias Scherzinger
Located in Geneve, CH
Small acacia nun vase by Matthias Scherzinger. Limited edition of 30 pieces, each colour each size. Engraved brass-label with number. Dimensions: L 14.5 x W 14.5 x 46 cm. Materia...
Wood
$2,566 / item
Large White Ash Nun Vase by Matthias Scherzinger
Located in Geneve, CH
Large white ash nun vase by Matthias Scherzinger. Limited Edition of 30 pieces, each colour each size. Engraved brass-label with number. Dimensions: L 19 x W 19 x H 73 cm. Materi...
Ash
$1,775 / item
Small White Ash Nun Vase by Matthias Scherzinger
Located in Geneve, CH
Large white ash nun vase by Matthias Scherzinger Limited Edition of 30 pieces, each colour each size Engraved brass-label with number Dimensions: L 14.5 x W 14.5 x 46 cm Material...
Ash
$1,683 / item
Ava Box by Fakasaka Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Ava box by Fakasaka Design Dimensions: W 16 cm D 16 cm H 28.5 cm Materials: polished bronze. FAKASAKA is a design company focused on production of high-end furniture, lighting,...
Bronze
$1,683 / item
Ava Box by Fakasaka Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Ava box by Fakasaka Design Dimensions: W 16 cm D 16 cm H 28.5 cm Materials: black/brown bronze. FAKASAKA is a design company focused on production of high-end furniture, lighti...
Bronze
$1,637 / item
Aretha Box by Fakasaka Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Aretha box by Fakasaka Design Dimensions: W 15 cm D 15 cm H 9.5 cm. Materials: polished bronze. Also available in black/brown bronze. FAKASAKA is a d...
Bronze
$835 / item
Joan Small Box by Fakasaka Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Joan small box by Fakasaka Design Dimensions: W 10 cm D 10 cm H 6.5 cm. Materials: polished bronze. Also available in black/brown bronze. FAKASAKA is a de...
Bronze
$1,613 / item
Gilmour Box by Fakasaka Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Gilmour Box by Fakasaka Design Dimensions: W 28 cm D 12 cm H 10 cm. Materials: polished bronze. FAKASAKA is a design company focused on production of high-end furniture, lighting, ...
Bronze
$1,497 / item
4 Mailbox by Lluis Clotet & Oscar Tusquets
Located in Geneve, CH
4 Mailbox by Lluis Clotet & Oscar Tusquets Dimensions: D 32 x W 32 x H 40 cm Materials: made up of steel sheets painted in a black polyester powder coating (RAL 9005). Doors ...
Steel, Stainless Steel
$1,787 / item
Large Caribe Chic Basket 1 by Sebastian Herkner
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Caribe chic basket 1 by Sebastian Herkner Materials: Galvanized and powder-coated tubular steel. PVC strings are made from recycled plastic. Technique: Made from recycled pla...
Steel
$1,985 / item
La Che Pot by Sebastian Herkner
Located in Geneve, CH
La Che pot by Sebastian Herkner Materials: 100% fique fibers from Furcraea leaves from Furcraea leaves. Technique: Hand-woven in Colombia. Dimensions: diameter 45 cm x width 24 ...
Ceramic
$673 / item
Fibra Large Basket by Sebastian Herkner
Located in Geneve, CH
Fibra large basket by Sebastian Herkner Materials: 100% Esparto grass. Technique: Hand-woven in Colombia. Dimensions: Diameter 60 cm x W 45 x H 14 c...
Natural Fiber
$1,776 / item
Medium La Che Basket by Sebastian Herkner
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium La Che basket by Sebastian Herkner Materials: 100 % natural fique agave. Technique: Hand-woven in Colombia. Dimensions: diameter 58 cm x height 30 cm Available in colors...
Natural Fiber
$2,147 / item
Large La Che Basket by Sebastian Herkner
Located in Geneve, CH
Large la che basket by Sebastian Herkner. Materials: 100 % natural fique agave. Technique: hand-woven in Colombia. Dimensions: diameter 78 cm x height 30 cm Available in colors...
Natural Fiber