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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood, Ash
1980s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass, Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Fiberglass
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Metal, Steel
2010s Egyptian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sofas
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bamboo
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bronze
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Sofas
Leather, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Steel, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Egyptian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Textile
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Danish Modern Sofas
Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Nickel
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Sofas
Bronze, Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal, Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Walnut
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Hardwood
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Rope, Teak