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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Plastic
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery
1990s Modern Sofas
Cotton, Foam, Feathers
1990s Danish Modern Sofas
Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
Early 2000s Danish Modern Sofas
Oak
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1990s German Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s French Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s French Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Sofas
Fabric
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
20th Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bamboo
2010s European Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Tôle
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
1990s French Modern Sofas
Velvet
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Sheepskin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Velvet
2010s European Modern Sofas
Resin
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Chenille, Upholstery, Down
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Modern Sofas
Bouclé
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wool, Bouclé, Cotton, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
2010s Modern Sofas
Suede, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Sheet Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Velvet