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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Austrian Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Danish Modern Sofas
Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s American Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam, Polystyrene
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Faux Leather
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Philippine Modern Sofas
Rattan
2010s American Modern Sofas
Faux Fur
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sofas
Wool
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Rope
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Faux Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood, Silk, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wool
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Wood
2010s French Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s French Modern Sofas
Metal, Bronze
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Sofas
Other
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Marble
2010s Lebanese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Travertine
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Beech, Leather
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Rope, Teak, Fabric
2010s French Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Aluminum
2010s Lebanese Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s French Modern Sofas
Metal, Bronze
2010s French Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s German Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Foam, Wood
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Aluminum