Modern Sofas
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Suede
1970s Dutch Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Wood, Velvet
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
1980s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Fabric, Laminate, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Cotton, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s European Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s American Modern Sofas
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wood, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Ukrainian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Ukrainian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Fabric, Foam, Down
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Maple, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Mid-20th Century Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Linen, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood, Oak
1930s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Oak, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Walnut
2010s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
20th Century English Modern Sofas
Fabric, Beech
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet