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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s Modern Daybeds
Bouclé
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Daybeds
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Daybeds
Birch, Wood
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Daybeds
Fabric, Foam, Latex, Rubber
1990s British Modern Daybeds
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Daybeds
Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Daybeds
Bamboo
1980s German Vintage Modern Daybeds
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Daybeds
Textile
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Daybeds
Metal
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Daybeds
Chrome
Late 20th Century North American Modern Daybeds
Marble, Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Daybeds
Fabric
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Steel, Chrome
Late 20th Century Modern Daybeds
Late 20th Century Modern Daybeds
Upholstery, Mahogany
1980s American Vintage Modern Daybeds
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather, Birch
1970s American Vintage Modern Daybeds
Lucite
1990s Italian Modern Daybeds
Stainless Steel
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Steel, Chrome
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather, Upholstery
2010s Unknown Modern Daybeds
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Daybeds
Leather, Linen, Wood
Early 20th Century French Modern Daybeds
Leather, Wood
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather
2010s British Modern Daybeds
Bouclé, Oak
2010s Spanish Modern Daybeds
Upholstery, Plywood, Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Leather, Bouclé, Cotton, Velvet, Wood, Wool, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Daybeds
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Daybeds
Bouclé, Oak
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Daybeds
Metal
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather, Fabric
Late 20th Century American Modern Daybeds
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Daybeds
Upholstery, Mahogany
1990s Fijian Modern Daybeds
Leather, Palmwood
1970s British Vintage Modern Daybeds
Linen, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Daybeds
Fabric, Wood
1990s English Modern Daybeds
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Daybeds
Leather, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Daybeds
Chrome
1980s American Vintage Modern Daybeds
Upholstery, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Daybeds
Fabric, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Daybeds
Aluminum, Steel