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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Sofas
Textile
1970s Brazilian Vintage Modern Sofas
Suede, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
20th Century English Modern Sofas
Fabric, Beech
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Steel, Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
1990s American Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sofas
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood, Silk, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric, Mohair, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
1990s American Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s European Modern Sofas
Wood, Jacquard
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wood, Fabric, Lacquer
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood, Foam
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Sofas
Foam
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s North American Modern Sofas
Hardwood
Early 2000s French Modern Sofas
Leather
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
1990s American Modern Sofas
Mohair
2010s American Modern Sofas
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood, Bentwood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Maple
Early 2000s Norwegian Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Rope
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sofas
Wool, Linen, Foam, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Plastic
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood