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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Norwegian Vintage Modern Sofas
Faux Leather, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s American Modern Sofas
Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Hardwood
1980s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Wool, Walnut
20th Century American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood, Down
2010s German Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Sofas
Wood
2010s Pakistani Modern Sofas
Leather, Velvet, Walnut
2010s German Modern Sofas
Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Mohair, Wood
2010s French Modern Sofas
Oak
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé
2010s Mexican Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wood, Velvet, Bouclé, Leather, Cotton
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wood, Bouclé, Leather, Fabric
1940s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Copper
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric
2010s German Modern Sofas
Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Polyester
2010s Swedish Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s European Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wool, Wood
2010s Pakistani Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel, Metal
2010s American Modern Sofas
Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Iron, Aluminum
2010s European Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Wool, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Plastic, Foam
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Sofas
Foam
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Sofas
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Steel, Chrome
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s German Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal