Modern Daybeds
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 South African Modern Daybeds
Steel, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Daybeds
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Daybeds
Textile, Wood
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Daybeds
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Daybeds
Lacquer
2010s Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Velvet
Early 2000s American Modern Daybeds
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Fabric, Polyester, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Wood, Velvet
2010s Guatemalan Modern Daybeds
Wood, Upholstery
2010s African Modern Daybeds
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Copper, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Daybeds
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Daybeds
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Daybeds
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Daybeds
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Daybeds
Textile, Wood, Leather
2010s South African Modern Daybeds
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Upholstery, Foam, Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Metal, Stainless Steel
2010s African Modern Daybeds
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Daybeds
Faux Leather, Wood
2010s English Modern Daybeds
Wool, Felt, Oak
2010s Argentine Modern Daybeds
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Rubber
Late 20th Century Modern Daybeds
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Daybeds
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Copper, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Daybeds
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Daybeds
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Daybeds
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Copper, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Daybeds
Brass
1950s French Vintage Modern Daybeds
Sycamore
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Daybeds
Teak
2010s South African Modern Daybeds
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Daybeds
Brass, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Bronze
2010s American Modern Daybeds
Brass
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Steel, Chrome
2010s South African Modern Daybeds
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Daybeds
Upholstery