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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Crystal
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cut Glass, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Porcelain
20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Other
2010s Indian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton, Linen
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk, Velvet
Late 20th Century African Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Natural Fiber, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cane, Cherry
20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Polyester, Cotton
1980s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Other
1950s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Art Glass, Mirror, Silk
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
Early 2000s Mexican Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
Early 2000s French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Canvas
1970s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Acrylic
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric
1930s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1990s Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
20th Century Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silver
1980s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Crystal
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Plaster, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton, Silk, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak, Plywood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Mirror, Art Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
2010s French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Porcelain, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut
1990s French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Plastic
1990s European Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood