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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
1990s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Sofas
Leather, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Sheepskin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
20th Century American Modern Sofas
Silk, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Sheepskin
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s American Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Feathers, Trimming, Wood, Upholstery, Silk, Damask
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Asian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Rope, Teak, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam, Wood, Feathers
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sofas
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Down
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Sofas
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Other
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Metal, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s North American Modern Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Sheepskin
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery