Modern Pillows and Throws
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Turkish Modern Pillows and Throws
Wool, Cotton, Foam
1970s American Vintage Modern Pillows and Throws
Fabric
Late 20th Century French Modern Pillows and Throws
Linen, Silk
1980s American Vintage Modern Pillows and Throws
Fabric
Late 20th Century Modern Pillows and Throws
Fabric, Down
Late 20th Century Modern Pillows and Throws
Fabric, Animal Skin, Leather
Late 20th Century Modern Pillows and Throws
Wool, Mohair, Down
1990s American Modern Pillows and Throws
Fabric
1990s North American Modern Pillows and Throws
Fabric
1980s French Vintage Modern Pillows and Throws
Cotton
1980s American Vintage Modern Pillows and Throws
Faux Leather, Down
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Pillows and Throws
Down, Linen, Silk
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Pillows and Throws
Fur
1990s French Modern Pillows and Throws
Silk, Velvet, Down
1970s Canadian Vintage Modern Pillows and Throws
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Pillows and Throws
Cotton, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Pillows and Throws
Linen
2010s Modern Pillows and Throws
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Pillows and Throws
Silk
2010s American Modern Pillows and Throws
Cotton
2010s Australian Modern Pillows and Throws
Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Pillows and Throws
Cotton, Silk
2010s Australian Modern Pillows and Throws
Sheepskin
2010s American Modern Pillows and Throws
Cotton, Velvet, Down
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Pillows and Throws
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pillows and Throws
Silk
2010s Australian Modern Pillows and Throws
Cowhide
1980s American Vintage Modern Pillows and Throws
Fabric
Late 20th Century French Modern Pillows and Throws
Linen, Silk
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Pillows and Throws
Silk
1970s English Vintage Modern Pillows and Throws
Yarn, Velvet
Late 20th Century French Modern Pillows and Throws
Textile
1990s English Modern Pillows and Throws
Plastic, Silk
Late 20th Century Uzbek Modern Pillows and Throws
Silk
Late 20th Century Uzbek Modern Pillows and Throws
Silk
Late 20th Century Uzbek Modern Pillows and Throws
Fabric
Late 20th Century Uzbek Modern Pillows and Throws
Linen, Velvet
Late 20th Century Uzbek Modern Pillows and Throws
Fabric
Late 20th Century Uzbek Modern Pillows and Throws
Silk