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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1970s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
1980s Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Acrylic, Lucite
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
1970s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Nickel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Stainless Steel, Chrome
1970s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1990s European Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Copper
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Chrome
1990s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Sterling Silver
1970s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Lucite
1970s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
1980s Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
Late 20th Century British Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
1970s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Copper, Chrome
1970s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
1990s Swedish Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze, Gilt Metal
1990s British Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
1990s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Satinwood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Lucite
1990s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1990s Austrian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Acrylic
1990s Austrian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1970s Dutch Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Chrome
1970s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Steel
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Satinwood
1990s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Malachite
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Malachite
1980s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Gold
1990s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Linen, Glass, Wood, Lacquer
1970s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Velvet
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cement, Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Slate
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1990s American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1990s Italian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern More Furniture and Collectibles
Cane, Hardwood, Mahogany