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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Boxes
Ceramic
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
Early 2000s Irish Modern Boxes
Mahogany, Walnut
2010s Thai Modern Boxes
Faux Leather
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Boxes
Leather
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Agate, Stone, Metal, Silver Plate
1970s Vintage Modern Boxes
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Polyester, Wood
1970s Vintage Modern Boxes
Onyx
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Onyx, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Wood, Shagreen Stingray
2010s German Modern Boxes
Ash
1990s American Modern Boxes
Mahogany, Maple, Rosewood, Walnut
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Wood, Lacquer
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Chrome, Silver Leaf
1990s British Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Boxes
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Ebony
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Wood, Shagreen Stingray
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Stainless Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Metal, Bronze
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Boxes
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
Late 20th Century French Modern Boxes
Leather, Fabric
2010s Australian Modern Boxes
Brass
Mid-20th Century Asian Modern Boxes
Bamboo, Wicker
20th Century Philippine Modern Boxes
Bone, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass





