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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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, Fabric, Wood
2010s Belgian Modern Sofas
Linen
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Linen, Hemp
2010s Belgian Modern Sofas
Linen
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Wool, Bouclé, Cotton, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Teak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Cotton, Foam
Late 20th Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Plastic
2010s American Modern Sofas
Walnut, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Plaster, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wool
2010s Belgian Modern Sofas
Linen
2010s French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam
2010s Dutch Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
Mid-20th Century Belgian Modern Sofas
Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s North American Modern Sofas
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
1990s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Emirian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Brass, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s French Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Fabric, Down, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer