Modern Benches
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Benches
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Benches
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Benches
Walnut, Mohair
2010s Turkish Modern Benches
Fabric, Upholstery, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Benches
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Benches
Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Benches
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Modern Benches
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Benches
Wood, Textile
Late 20th Century Modern Benches
Fabric, Lucite
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Benches
Concrete
2010s Dutch Modern Benches
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Benches
Metal, Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Benches
Aluminum
2010s Belgian Modern Benches
Stainless Steel
2010s Balkan Modern Benches
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Benches
Lapis Lazuli
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Benches
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Benches
Leather, Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Brass, Iron
2010s Spanish Modern Benches
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Cement, Brass
2010s Belgian Modern Benches
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Benches
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Benches
Lucite
1980s American Vintage Modern Benches
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Benches
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Benches
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Benches
Cement
2010s Italian Modern Benches
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Benches
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Benches
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Benches
Chrome
1970s American Vintage Modern Benches
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Benches
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Benches
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Benches
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Benches
Steel
2010s American Modern Benches
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Benches
Wood
2010s American Modern Benches
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Benches
Iron, Wrought Iron, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Benches
Stainless Steel
2010s European Modern Benches
Metal
2010s American Modern Benches
Wrought Iron, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Benches
Other
2010s Italian Modern Benches
Multi-gemstone, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Benches
Carrara Marble
2010s European Modern Benches
Metal