Modern Canapes
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Ukrainian Modern Canapes
Textile, Foam, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Canapes
Textile, Foam, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Canapes
Textile, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Canapes
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery, Velvet, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Canapes
Brass, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
Early 2000s French Modern Canapes
Textile
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery, Velvet, Beech
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery, Velvet, Beech
1960s European Vintage Modern Canapes
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery, Faux Leather, Beech
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Canapes
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Canapes
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Canapes
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Canapes
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Canapes
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Turkish Modern Canapes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s South African Modern Canapes
Leather, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Turkish Modern Canapes
Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Canapes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Turkish Modern Canapes
Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Canapes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Canapes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Canapes
Iron, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Canapes
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Canapes
Fabric, Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Canapes
Rattan, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Canapes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Canapes
Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Canapes
Fabric, Upholstery