Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Gold Leaf
20th Century English Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1930s German Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Beech, Leather, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1960s Czech Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
2010s German Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Linen
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1920s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood, Glass, Paper
1940s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Plywood
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Norwegian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood, Leather
Late 20th Century Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
1990s Slovak Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1960s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
1990s European Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton
2010s Dutch Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk
Late 20th Century British Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
20th Century Spanish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal, Other
1990s Swedish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron
1960s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
20th Century European Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Glass
1950s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1990s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton, Linen
1950s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Olive
1990s Austrian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1990s Austrian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Acrylic
Early 2000s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Gold
20th Century Austrian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Walnut
1950s Austrian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut