Modern Textiles
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Textiles
Wool, Cotton, Foam
Late 20th Century American Modern Textiles
Cotton
1970s American Vintage Modern Textiles
Fabric
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Textiles
Silk
Late 20th Century French Modern Textiles
Linen, Silk
Late 20th Century Modern Textiles
Wool, Cotton
1980s American Vintage Modern Textiles
Fabric
Late 20th Century Modern Textiles
Fabric, Down
Late 20th Century Modern Textiles
Fabric, Animal Skin, Leather
Late 20th Century Modern Textiles
Cotton, Polyester
Late 20th Century Modern Textiles
Wool, Mohair, Down
1990s North American Modern Textiles
Fabric
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Textiles
Silk
1990s American Modern Textiles
Fabric
Late 20th Century Modern Textiles
Cotton
1980s French Vintage Modern Textiles
Cotton
1980s American Vintage Modern Textiles
Faux Leather, Down
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Textiles
Down, Linen, Silk
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Textiles
Fur
1990s French Modern Textiles
Silk, Velvet, Down
Late 20th Century Turkish Modern Textiles
Paper
1970s Canadian Vintage Modern Textiles
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Textiles
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Textiles
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Textiles
Silk
2010s American Modern Textiles
Cotton
2010s American Modern Textiles
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Textiles
Silk
Early 20th Century Turkish Modern Textiles
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Textiles
Silk
Early 20th Century Modern Textiles
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Textiles
Silk
Early 2000s Italian Modern Textiles
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Textiles
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Textiles
Fabric
1990s Italian Modern Textiles
Cotton
1990s Italian Modern Textiles
Cotton
Late 20th Century French Modern Textiles
Linen, Silk
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Textiles
Silk
1970s English Vintage Modern Textiles
Yarn, Velvet
Late 20th Century Turkish Modern Textiles
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Textiles
Textile
Late 20th Century French Modern Textiles
Textile
Late 20th Century American Modern Textiles
Wool, Cotton
1990s English Modern Textiles
Plastic, Silk
Late 20th Century Uzbek Modern Textiles
Silk