Modern Furniture
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Concrete
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Acrylic, Ash, Cotton, Linen, Faux Fur, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Chenille
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Wool, Bouclé, Acrylic, Ash, Sheepskin, Cotton, Linen, Fa...
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Faux Fur, Velvet, Linen, Fabric, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Wool
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Cotton, Velvet, Acrylic, Ash, Sheepskin, L...
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Steel
1990s Dutch Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Wood
1990s Swedish Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Resin
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Natural Fiber
1980s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Glass, Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century German Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Concrete
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine
Late 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Leather, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Crystal