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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Chenille, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
20th Century Modern Sofas
Cotton, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Oak, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Velvet, Maple
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
Early 2000s French Modern Sofas
Textile
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Ukrainian Modern Sofas
Textile, Foam, Plywood
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Linen
2010s South African Modern Sofas
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sofas
Chrome
20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
20th Century French Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Sofas
Mohair
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wool, Cotton, Fabric
Late 20th Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Other
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Chinese Modern Sofas
Oak, Leather
2010s Danish Modern Sofas
Sheepskin
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Ash
2010s American Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Maple, Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s Danish Modern Sofas
Sheepskin
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1970s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Foam
1940s Finnish Vintage Modern Sofas
Birch, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sofas
Fabric
1990s Modern Sofas
Cotton, Foam, Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood, Leather, Bouclé
2010s Mexican Modern Sofas
Hardwood
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel