Modern Boxes
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Agate, Lapis Lazuli, Rock Crystal, Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Plexiglass, Acrylic
2010s South American Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Boxes
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Polyester, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s South American Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Travertine
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Boxes
Marble
20th Century Italian Modern Boxes
Stone, Marble
2010s South American Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
20th Century American Modern Boxes
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Boxes
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Boxes
Horn, Wood
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Boxes
Copper, Enamel
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
2010s South American Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Modern Boxes
Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Boxes
Horn, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
1970s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Bronze
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Marble
1970s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Stone, Quartz, Metal, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Boxes
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Boxes
Leather, Suede
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Marble
20th Century Modern Boxes
Bone, Wood
20th Century Philippine Modern Boxes
Bone, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Lapis Lazuli, Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
1970s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Lucite, Plexiglass
2010s Turkish Modern Boxes
Chestnut
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Polyester, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Shagreen Stingray
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Gold
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Suede, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Marble
Early 2000s Irish Modern Boxes
Mahogany, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass