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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Wood
1990s British Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
18th Century and Earlier European Antique Modern Boxes
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Wood, Shagreen Stingray
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Wood, Shagreen Stingray
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Boxes
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Chrome, Silver Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
1960s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Boxes
Lucite
1990s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
1980s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Travertine
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Boxes
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Glass, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Wood, Oak
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Boxes
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Boxes
Ceramic
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Metal, Sheet Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Boxes
Fabric, Glass, Teak
Mid-20th Century Asian Modern Boxes
Bamboo, Wicker
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Boxes
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Metal, Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Suede, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Metal, Sheet Metal
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Boxes
Stone, Marble, Sterling Silver
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Birdseye Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Chrome, Silver Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Brass
20th Century British Modern Boxes
Pottery, Stoneware
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Metal, Chrome, Bronze, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
1960s British Vintage Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Acrylic
1990s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
1990s Indian Modern Boxes
Metal, Brass, Enamel
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Crystal
1970s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Walnut