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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s North American Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Plastic, Polystyrene, Wood
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
1990s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Silk
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
1980s North American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Beech
1980s English Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
1980s Portuguese Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Pine
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Metal
Late 20th Century Scandinavian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Hardwood
1980s British Vintage Modern Sofas
Cord
Late 20th Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Wood
1990s Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
1990s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1970s Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Plastic, Polystyrene, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Textile
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel, Chrome
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Lucite
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Foam, Wood, Mohair, Fabric
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Chrome
1970s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Textile
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Plastic, Wood, Foam
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Plastic, Polystyrene, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Lucite, Bouclé
1990s German Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Polystyrene, Leather, Upholstery, Plastic, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Foam