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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Sofas
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Cotton
Late 20th Century Scandinavian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sofas
Velvet, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
1990s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
1930s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Wood, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Mohair, Oak, Fabric
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1930s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel, Chrome
1990s French Modern Sofas
Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Brass
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 20th Century English Modern Sofas
Brass
2010s French Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
Early 2000s French Modern Sofas
Fabric
Early 2000s French Modern Sofas
Fabric
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Lucite
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s European Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut
1970s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s French Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Lucite, Bouclé
1990s German Modern Sofas
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sofas
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
Early 2000s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Wood
2010s English Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s English Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s English Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s English Modern Sofas
Fabric
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sofas
Brass