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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Plastic, Wood, Fabric, Down
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sofas
Oak, Walnut, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Chrome
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s European Modern Sofas
Wood, Jacquard
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Hide
1990s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Mahogany
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Rope, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
2010s Belgian Modern Sofas
Linen
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Rattan
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Plastic, Polystyrene, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sofas
Wool
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sofas
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Feathers, Wood, Foam, Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Rattan, Wood
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Chrome
20th Century American Modern Sofas
Silk, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Brass, Steel
2010s Philippine Modern Sofas
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Cotton, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Walnut
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood, Jacquard
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Hardwood
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Fiberglass