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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s American Modern Sofas
Sheepskin
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Cotton, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
1980s Vintage Modern Sofas
Chenille
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Rope, Teak
2010s Mexican Modern Sofas
Fabric, Textile, Upholstery, Synthetic, Cherry, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel, Metal
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
1990s German Modern Sofas
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Sofas
Cotton, Maple
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wood
2010s Egyptian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Plastic
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wood, Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s American Modern Sofas
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Oak, Burlap, Velvet, Foam, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel, Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Plastic
1960s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Textile, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
20th Century Unknown Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal