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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Mother-of-Pearl, Glass, Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wool
Early 2000s French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Parchment Paper
2010s Indian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton
2010s African Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Steel
2010s German Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Polyester
1970s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wool, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Marble, Onyx, Brass
2010s Chinese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Other
1980s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton
2010s Brazilian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
2010s German Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Suede
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Foam, Wood
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Alpaca
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
20th Century Mexican Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silver
Late 20th Century German Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Limestone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Limestone, Steel
20th Century Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Art Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cherry
Late 20th Century French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk
20th Century Unknown Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wool
2010s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Steel
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Travertine, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Jute, Cotton, Linen, Polyester
2010s Portuguese Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
2010s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cotton