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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Marble
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Oak, Walnut, Bouclé, Leather
20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Leather, Wood, Velvet, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Marble, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet, Maple, Walnut
20th Century English Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Walnut, Down, Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wool, Cotton, Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam
1960s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s Modern Sofas
Chenille
Late 20th Century French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Ostrich Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s American Modern Sofas
Faux Fur
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Suede
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sofas
Brass
2010s Belgian Modern Sofas
Linen
Late 20th Century Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric