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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood, Upholstery
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sofas
Velvet, Oak, Walnut
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Moroccan Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Ukrainian Modern Sofas
Aluminum
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Sofas
Canvas
20th Century French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s Belgian Modern Sofas
Linen
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Brass
2010s Moroccan Modern Sofas
Wool, Velvet, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Plastic
2010s Brazilian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Oak
2010s Modern Sofas
Faux Leather, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Plastic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Textile
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Sofas
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Linen, Wool, Leather, Bouclé, Oak
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Indian Modern Sofas
Suede
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Polyester
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Linen
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Canvas
2010s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Oak, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Rope
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal