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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Velvet, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Plastic
1960s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Bamboo
1990s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Plastic, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak, Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton, Velvet
1970s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Rattan, Wood
1960s European Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric
2010s Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
1960s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Stainless Steel
20th Century French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Rope
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk, Paint
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Upholstery
1990s French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wool, Cotton, Linen, Upholstery, Natural Fiber, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
20th Century French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal, Chrome
1950s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal, Brass, Enamel, Iron
1990s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Rock Crystal, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood, Oak
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Acrylic
2010s European Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fur
20th Century French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fur, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Pacific Islands Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Other
1960s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
1960s German Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Composition, Metal
20th Century French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Chrome