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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Danish Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Linen, Upholstery, Teak
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Mexican Modern Sofas
Cherry, Oak, Walnut, Fabric, Textile, Upholstery, Synthetic
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Fabric
20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s South African Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Foam
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet
20th Century English Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Wood, Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Gold Leaf
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Chrome
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Plastic, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Fabric, Upholstery
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Brass, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century French Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Giltwood
2010s Philippine Modern Sofas
Rattan, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sofas
Metal
1990s Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Plastic
2010s Philippine Modern Sofas
Rattan, Maple
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass, Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather, Beech
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Steel
20th Century Unknown Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Turkish Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Upholstery, Foam, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Indian Modern Sofas
Steel