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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Bouclé
2010s Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Lacquer
2010s Panamanian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Upholstery, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Other
2010s Canadian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Silver Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Metal, Other
Late 20th Century American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Suede, Leather
2010s Mexican Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Walnut, Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Bouclé, Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Upholstery
2010s Philippine Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Stainless Steel, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
2010s Ukrainian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric, Textile, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Wool, Velvet, Faux Fur
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Faux Fur, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Gold, Brass
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Lacquer, Maple
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Sheepskin, Faux Leather, Foam, Maple, Walnut
2010s Spanish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel, Brass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric, Textile, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Wool, Velvet, Faux Fur
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Other, Metal
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Bouclé, Foam, Maple, Down
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Suede, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Wood, Chenille, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric, Plywood, Foam
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Israeli Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile
2010s Mexican Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Hardwood, Walnut
1970s American Vintage Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Sheepskin, Bouclé, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Agate
2010s Philippine Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Alpaca, Mohair, Maple, Wool
2010s South African Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Bouclé, Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Vintage Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Other
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Textile, Cotton, Velvet, Latex
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Foam
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric