Modern Ottomans and Poufs
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric
2010s Finnish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Oak, Ash, Canvas
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Upholstery
20th Century American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Bouclé
2010s British Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Aluminum
2010s Ukrainian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric, Textile, Bouclé
1990s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Chrome
2010s Indian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Cotton
1980s Vintage Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Chrome
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
2010s Spanish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Colombian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Oak
2010s Spanish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Brass, Steel
20th Century Unknown Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
1970s Brazilian Vintage Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Upholstery
1990s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Ukrainian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric, Bouclé
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Brass, Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Copper, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Lava, Other
2010s Spanish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel, Brass