A revival in the popularity of authentic Minimalist furniture is rooted in history while reflecting the needs and tastes of the 21st century. Designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s aphorism that “less is more” influenced the evolution of 20th-century interiors with an emphasis on function and order. This was a shift from the 19th century, with its lavish Victorian decorating, and was spread around the world through design styles including Bauhaus and brutalism.
Yet Minimalism was present in furniture design long before the clean lines of modernism, such as in the simple and elegant utility of Shaker furniture. Although the Minimalist art movement of the 1960s and ’70s had little crossover with furniture design, artist Donald Judd was inspired by the Shakers in creating his own spare daybeds and tables from sturdy wood. (Judd, whose advocacy of symmetry also informed his architectural projects, furnished his Manhattan loft with unassuming but poetic works by iconic modernist designers such as Gerrit Rietveld and Alvar Aalto.)
Understatement rather than ornamentation and open space instead of clutter are central themes for a Minimalist living room and bedroom. As opposed to Maximalism, the focus for Minimalist furniture and decor is on simplicity and considering the design and purpose of every object.
Furnishings are usually made in neutral or monochrome colors and pared down to their essentials — think nesting coffee tables, sectional sofas and accent pieces such as ottomans. And Minimalist ceramics can help achieve a decor that is both timeless and of the moment. The organic textures and personalization of handmade craftsmanship associated with these works have served as a sort of anti-Internet to screen-weary decorators. That said, while the thoughtful ergonomics of Scandinavian modern furniture, with its handcrafted teak frames, are at home in Minimalist spaces, so are the quietly striking pieces by Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa that employ industrial materials like stainless steel, aluminum and plastic.
Minimalist furniture is not for making flashy statements; it boasts subdued appeal and excels at harmonizing with any room. And, as it encompasses many different movements and eras of design, it also never goes out of style, owing to its tasteful refinement.
Find a collection of Minimalist tables, seating, lighting and more furniture on 1stDibs.
Wooden and Glass Pastry Tray by Zara Home, Discontinuted Model, France 20th
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Wooden pastry stand with glass dome by Zara Home, discontinued model, France, 20th century. This elegant display piece combines a natural wood stand with a clear, hand-blown glass d...
Glass, Wood
Medium Maple Cutting Board from the Deborah Ehrlich Collection
Located in Accord, NY
Designed by Deborah Ehrlich and made in Rhode Island by the same master craftsman who makes her chairs - the simplicity and elegance of this maple cutting board speaks to the collect...
Maple
Small Maple Cutting Board from the Deborah Ehrlich Collection
Located in Accord, NY
Designed by Deborah Ehrlich and made in Rhode Island by the same master craftsman who makes her chairs - the simplicity and elegance of this maple cutting board speaks to the collect...
Maple
1970s Minimalist Silver Plated Ice Bucket by Lino Sabattini for Christofle
Located in Aci Castello, IT
This vintage 1970s minimalist ice bucket is a striking example of Mid-Century Modern design, crafted by the renowned Italian designer Lino Sabattini for the prestigious French silver...
Silver Plate
Large Maple Cutting Board from the Deborah Ehrlich Collection
Located in Accord, NY
Designed by Deborah Ehrlich and made in Rhode Island by the same master craftsman who makes her chairs - the simplicity and elegance of this maple cutting board speaks to the collect...
Maple
Deborah Ehrlich Small Crystal Bowl, Hand Blown in Sweden
Located in Accord, NY
Each Deborah Ehrlich piece is designed for the extraordinary strength and clarity of Swedish crystal. The simplicity of the design, the thinness of the lip, the quality of the crystal and the perfect weight of this small crystal bowl...
Crystal
Handbuilt Organic Modern Ceramic Moon Vase with Metallic Bronze Glaze
By MONDAYS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Handbuilt organic modern vase made from a groggy clay body and a metallic bronze glaze. Each vase is made by hand in our Brooklyn studio, and no two are ever exactly alike. All dimen...
Ceramic
ZARUCOLANDER basket, walnut wood, design Rio Kobayashi
Located in San-Martino-di-Lota, Corse
Zarucolander is a collapsible colander and basket, designed by designer Rio Kobayashi. The strainer slats, crafted from walnut, were steam bent and then secured with red and black colored ball...
Wood, Walnut, Bentwood
Deborah Ehrlich Crystal Water Decanter for Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Located in Accord, NY
The Deborah Ehrlich Crystal Water Decanter was designed in collaboration with Laureen Barber and Philippe Gouze for Dan Barber's James Beard Award winning restaurant, Blue Hill at St...
Crystal
Set of 6 handcrafted borosilicate glass mugs, Piggie, Kanz
By kanz
Located in Venezia, Veneto
The Piggie mug features a minimalist design and a distinctive look, handcrafted from clear borosilicate glass. An essential piece designed to enhance the daily ritual of coffee or te...
Glass
Handbuilt Organic Modern Large Ceramic Moon Vase with Lava Glaze
By MONDAYS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Handbuilt organic modern vase made from a groggy clay body covered layers of glossy and matte white glaze, with a heavily textured lava glaze on top. Each vase is made by hand in our...
Ceramic
Handbuilt Organic Modern Large Ceramic Moon Vase with Lava Glaze
By MONDAYS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Handbuilt organic modern vase made from a groggy clay body covered layers of glossy and matte white glaze, with a heavily textured glaze on top. Each vase is made by hand in our Broo...
Ceramic
Arne Jacobsen Corkscrew, Bottle Opener and Toothpick Dispenser for Stelton
Located in Esbjerg, DK
The 3 pieces are made from brushed stainless steel. The price is for the set of 3.
Stainless Steel
Vintage Coffee Set of 10 by IMCO Minimalist Design Italy, 1970s
Located in Montecalvoli, IT
Vintage coffee set by IMCO minimalist design Italy, 1970s This vintage coffee set by IMCO Design from the 1970s impresses with its timeless elegance and minimalist design. It consi...
Stainless Steel
$527Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of 12 Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Murano Glass
Set of 6 Green Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Murano Glass
$272Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of 6 Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Murano Glass
21st Century Set of 6 Colored Glass Iride, Hand-Crafted, Kanz Architetti
By kanz
Located in Venezia, Veneto
Set of 6 glass. Dimensions of each glass : Ø7 x H8,5 cm The “Iride” glass exploit the phenomenon of light refraction and play with the bottom color, transporting it to the surface....
Glass
Gutta Vase CS2, Collectible Minimalistic in Amber Blown Glass by Noom
Located in Paris, FR
Gutta Sculptural Glass Vases by NOOM — designed by co-founder and chief designer Kateryna Sokolova — are a contemporary, bold, and minimalist tribute to the ancient glassblowing tech...
Glass, Smoked Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Set of 6 Light Blue, Periwinkle Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Murano Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Set of 4 Ralph Lauren “Edward” Crystal Birdbath Wine Goblets, Faceted Stem
By Ralph Lauren
Located in San Diego, CA
A refined set of four Ralph Lauren “Edward” crystal wine goblets, distinguished by their sculptural “birdbath” bowl and sharply faceted stems. These glasses embody Ralph Lauren’s sig...
Crystal
"Oak Ring Tray" Solid oak centerpiece by Josep Vila Capdevila
Located in Terrassa, Catalonia
The Oak Ring Tray is a sculptural centerpiece handcrafted from solid oak, where clean geometry and natural materiality come together in a timeless design. De...
Oak
Páramo Tiles MIX 1 m2. - 50% with curve and 50% plain
Located in Zapopan, Jalisco
Páramo expresses the malleability of the earth. This scalable set of mosaics modeled using parametric design allows for infinite variations. The geographies that result from these ...
Clay, Paint
Quitandeira, Traditional Fruit Box in Glass, by Tiago Curioni
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
To perpetuate the memorable wooden boxes at fairs in Brazil, the architect and designer Tiago Curioni, a Brazilian based in Portugal, recreated the glass boxes, in a limited series of 30 units. Named as Quitandeira, it has a system of glass rulers...
Glass
1970s Minimalist Silver Plated Caviar Serving Bowl by Lino Sabattini
By Sabattini Argenteria, Lino Sabattini
Located in Aci Castello, IT
Exquisite 1970s Minimalist Silver-Plated Caviar Serving Bowl by Lino Sabattini Presenting a remarkable piece of modernist design: a sophisticated silver-plated caviar serving bowl, m...
Silver Plate
Bernardaud Porcelain Partial Assembled Dinner Service, 45 Pieces
By Bernardaud
Located in Astoria, NY
Bernardaud Porcelain Partial Assembled Dinner Service, comprising: (6) six serving bowls, (7) seven dinner plates, (2) pair of square bowls, (2) pair of wide rim soup bowls, (1) rect...
Porcelain
$3,894 / item
Aura Tiles Blue
Located in Zapopan, Jalisco
Aura, a mural of a gentle, profound and peaceful nature painted by Mexican artist José Miguel Gómez in different sized ceramic mosaics. Each piece represents a different state of min...
Ceramic, Paint
LINES Modernist Hand-Patinated Bronze Ashtray by Reda Amalou Design
Located in Paris, FR
The LINES Box is a sculptural object that explores the raw beauty of metal and the precision of geometric pattern. Cast in solid bronze with a deep, hand-applied patina, this versati...
Bronze
$300 / item
Handbuilt Organic Modern Ceramic Moon Vase
By MONDAYS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Handbuilt organic modern vase made from a groggy clay body covered layers of glossy and matte white glaze. Each vase is made by hand in our Brooklyn studio, and no two are ever exactly alike. The moon...
Ceramic
Brutalist Glass Ashtray, Free-Form Glass Catchall - France 1970s
Located in ROUEN, Normandie
Brutalist Glass Ashtray, Free-Form Glass Catchall - France 1970s Glass ashtray, molded from a single block of glass. Its clear, transparent surface gives it the appearance of froze...
Glass
Set of 6 Amethyst Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Murano Glass
Italian Murano Champagne Coupe Glasses, Vincenzo Nason & Cie, Italy 1990s
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful pair of Italian Murano blue cocktail or Champagne coupe glasses by Vincenzo Nason & Cie, Minimalist period, circa late-20th century...
Glass, Murano Glass
Carved Marble Sculptural Block Wine Rack or Sparkling Water Bottle Display
Located in Round Top, TX
A solid, carved marble bottle display. This über heavy, block of marble with four carved cylindrical openings to display wine has a secret. There are also divets disguised as carvi...
Marble
Glass Carafe and Tumblers Set, Iride, Multicolor, Hand crafted, Kanz
By kanz
Located in Venezia, Veneto
The “Iride” pitcher and tumbler exploit the phenomenon of light refraction and play with the bottom color, transporting it to the surface. Iride is made for the water, perfect liquid...
Glass
Set of 6 Colored Shot Glass Iride, Hand-Crafted, Kanz
By kanz
Located in Venezia, Veneto
Set of 6 shot glass. Dimensions of each glass : Ø4,4 x H4,3 cm The “Iride” glass exploit the phenomenon of light refraction and play with the bottom color, transporting it to the s...
Glass
Set of 2 Deborah Ehrlich Simple Crystal Champagne Glasses, Hand Blown in Sweden
Located in Accord, NY
Launched with Takashimaya in 1999, these hand blown crystal champagne glasses have become a modern Classic. Each Deborah Ehrlich piece is des...
Crystal
1990s Set of Two Minimalist Silverware Designed by Lino Sabattini
By Lino Sabattini, Sabattini Argenteria
Located in Aci Castello, IT
This elegant pair of minimalist serving utensils is a quintessential example of late 20th-century Italian design, crafted by the renowned silversmith Lino Sabattini during the 1990s....
Silver Plate
Deborah Ehrlich Crystal Magnum Wine Decanter for Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Located in Accord, NY
The Deborah Ehrlich Crystal Magnum Wine Decanter was designed in collaboration with Laureen Barber and Philippe Gouze for Dan Barber's Michelin Aw...
Crystal
Set of 6 Glass Longdrink Tumblers Iride, Hand-Crafted, Kanz
By kanz
Located in Venezia, Veneto
Set of 6 shot glass. Dimensions of each glass : Ø7 x H12,5 cm The “Iride” glass exploit the phenomenon of light refraction and play with the bottom color, transporting it to the su...
Glass
Revolving Minimalist Stainless Steel Ashtray by Roelandt for Stelton, 1980s
By Stelton
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A stylish stainless steel ashtray designed by Roelandt and manufactured by Stelton in Denmark during the 1980s. Similar to Arne Jacobsen's cylinda-line but with a tilting/revolving m...
Stainless Steel
Handbuilt Organic Modern Ceramic Moon Vase with Lava Glaze
By MONDAYS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Handbuilt organic modern moon vase made from a groggy clay body covered layers of glossy and matte white glaze, and a heavily textured lava glaze. Each vase is made by hand in our Br...
Ceramic
Vintage Space Age Red Tray from Boltze Design, 1970s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Vintage Space Age Red Tray from Boltze Design, 1970s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1970 to 1979 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional information: Materials: Plastic S...
Plastic
Vintage Germany Hutschenreuther Novum Porcelain Coffee Pot
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage white porcelain teapot with lid and a cobalt blue stylised flower burst design on each side. Minimalist porcelain coffee pot or tea po...
Porcelain
Set of 6 Green Pea Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Murano Glass
$147 / item
EBO trivet, Chesnut wood, Handmade in France
Located in San-Martino-di-Lota, Corse
This trivet has been tinted using the ebonization process. Chestnut containing tannin, it darkens naturally on contact with iron acetate. Functional, it comes in a single piece or se...
Wood, Chestnut
Brutalist Carved Wood vide poche– In the Style of Alexandre Noll France 1950
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Brutalist Carved Wood Catchall Tray – In the Style of Alexandre Noll – France, 1950s Description: This is a wooden catchall tray, handcrafted in France ...
Wood
Blown Glass Vase Gutta Boon CS3 by Noom, Minimalist, Neutral Grey & Oak Base
Located in Paris, FR
Gutta Sculptural Glass Vases by NOOM — designed by co-founder and chief designer Kateryna Sokolova — are a contemporary, bold, and minimalist tribute to the ancient glassblowing tech...
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Smoked Glass
Chinese Black Marble Scroll Stand
Located in Chicago, IL
Minimal and refined, this elegant marble riser is a sophisticated way to add dimension to a tabletop display. Shaped from a single block of black marble, the low pedestal is carved w...
Marble
Shiro Kuramata Spiral Ashtray1 Minimalist Japanese Design
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Shiro Kuramata's ashtray1. Made of black aluminum. Rather optical art object than usual astray.
Aluminum
Italian Murano Art Glass Bowl Minimalist, Signed
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful Italian Murano art glass bowl from Italy. Bowl's design is in the Minimalist style. Murano glass colors include clear, gold-yellow, black, 'smoked' taupe, and ribbons of ...
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass
Gabo Vase CS7, Sculptural Design in Copper and Steel by Noom, Minimalist
Located in Paris, FR
Gabo vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. Collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist moveme...
Copper, Steel
LINES Modernist Hand-Patinated Bronze Incense Box by Reda Amalou Design
Located in Paris, FR
The LINES Box is a sculptural object that explores the raw beauty of metal and the precision of geometric pattern. Cast in solid bronze with a deep, hand-applied patina, this versati...
Bronze
Wabi Sabi Large Lava Stone Incense Holder
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A unique wabi sabi incense holder made of lava stone, designed by Maximilian Jencquel, a Venezuelan-born, German-French architect. Jencquel brings a rich tapestry of cultural and pr...
Lava
1980s Modernist Crystal and Silver Plate French Wine Cooler
By Saint Louis
Located in Aci Castello, IT
This 1980s Modernist French wine cooler is an elegant blend of luxury and functionality. It features a stunning heavy crystal body with a textured diamond-cut pattern, which enhances...
Crystal, Silver Plate
Danish Minimalist Stainless Steel Ashtray by Roelandt for Stelton, 1980s
By Stelton
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A stylish stainless steel ashtray designed by Roelandt and manufactured by Stelton in Denmark during the 1980s. Similar to Arne Jacobsen's cylinda-line but with a tilting mechanism/l...
Stainless Steel
Signed Marc Newson Ashtray
By Marc Newson
Located in NYC, NY
A clear smoke-colored ashtray by Marc Newson with facsimile of the artist's signature on underside.
Glass
Set of 6 White Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Murano Glass
Set of 6 Blue Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Murano Glass
Set of 6 Green Turquoise Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Murano Glass
Satin White Moon Jar by Jason Fox, Hand-Crafted Stoneware, Los Angeles
Located in Burbank, CA
Satin White Wheel Thrown Moon Jar by Jason Fox. Largely influenced by Korean Pottery, Jason pays respect to the rich history of Moon Jars with this piece...
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware