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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
2010s Moroccan Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s American Modern Sofas
Mahogany
2010s American Modern Sofas
Maple
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Trimming, Wood, Velvet, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
Early 2000s North American Modern Sofas
Chenille, Wood
2010s North American Modern Sofas
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wool, Foam, Wood, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Sofas
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Oak
2010s American Modern Sofas
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood, Upholstery
1960s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Bronze
2010s North American Modern Sofas
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
Early 2000s Norwegian Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Fabric
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Leather, Bouclé, Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Silk
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Sofas
Foam
2010s American Modern Sofas
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Oak, Leather, Wool, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Lacquer, Velvet, Mohair, Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s American Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut, Alpaca, Mohair, Bouclé, Linen, Wood, Oak
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Mahogany, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood