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Modern Sofas

MODERN STYLE

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 chaircrafted 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.

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Style: Modern
Period: 1930s
Gio Ponti White Sofa from Casa & Giardino, circa 1938
Located in Rome, IT
A Gio Ponti Casa & Giardino white sofa, circa 1938 walnut and fabric; white cotton and walnut feet fully rest orated and newly upholstered Measure: height 79, cm 152 x 82cm, high ...
Category

1930s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Cotton, Walnut

Jacques Adnet Sofa
Located in San Francisco, CA
Jacques Adnet – Sofa. A Jacques Adnet sofa recently restored in a luxurious deep plum mohair with contrast leather trim. The arms are in Philippine magonay...
Category

1930s French Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Mahogany

Industrial Modernist Anodized Aluminum Warren McArthur Park Ave Sofa
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Beautiful and rare McArthur sofa created in the early thirties, an icon of the Hollywood era. His signature grid with aluminum curved tubing, tootsie roll armrests and black puck feet are all present on this sofa. Notched tubes and milled washers another feature well represented. This sofa carries his Park Ave...
Category

1930s American Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Aluminum

Three Seater Sofa by Frits Henningsen
Located in San Francisco, CA
A Frits Henningsen three seater sofa on a mahogany frame with eight legs and covered with green wool. The sides have exposed wood panels on either side. It was designed and made circ...
Category

1930s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Upholstery

Related Items
Rare Gio Ponti Sofa
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gio Ponti sofa, Pierre Frey fabric and walnut, Italy, 1960s Stunning sofa by Gio Ponti. This particular sofa breathes the luxurious feel of well-balanced Italian furniture designs o...
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1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Metal

Rare Gio Ponti Sofa
Rare Gio Ponti Sofa
H 31.5 in W 85.44 in D 76.78 in
Attributed Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Sofa for Casa E Giardino, 1938
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Collectible vintage three-seater sofa attributed Gio Ponti for the Casa e Giardino manufacturing company in the late 1930s. The upholstery was redone more than 20 years ago but is no...
Category

1930s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet, Beech

Frits Henningsen Settee
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Frits Henningsen Settee.
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sofas

Materials

Fabric, Mahogany

Frits Henningsen Settee
Frits Henningsen Settee
H 32 in W 53 in D 27 in
Classic Danish Midcentury Three-seat Sofa by Frits Henningsen 1950's
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Classic and very elegant lines by one of the early Danish iconic designers made around early 1950's. Backrest and seat nice and firm and frame raised on Cuban mahogany legs remains s...
Category

1950s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Beech, Wool, Mahogany

Italian Sofa Gio Ponti Style 1960s Burgundy Velvet
Located in Lyon, FR
Italian banana sofa in the style of Gio Ponti. Original velvet fabric (some signs of use, see photos).
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet

Frits Henningsen Sofa
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Frits Henningsen sofa.
Category

1940s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Leather, Mahogany

Frits Henningsen Sofa
Frits Henningsen Sofa
H 30 in W 84 in D 32 in
Ether Curved Velvet Sofa
Located in New York, NY
Heaven sent. A curved sofa announces to the world that you are on the varsity decorating squad. Airy yet edgy, our Ether Curved sofa is upholstered in heavenly Bergamo Azure velvet a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas

Materials

Brass

Ether Curved Velvet Sofa
Ether Curved Velvet Sofa
H 32 in W 94 in D 52 in
1950s Gio Ponti Attributed Armchair for Casa & Giardino Newly Upholstered
Located in Chicago, IL
1950s Gio Ponti attributed tub-style accent armchair on short tapered wood legs, newly reupholstered in a jacquard velvet fabric. The newly installed (2022) fabric is DEDAR Tiger Mountain...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet, Wood, Jacquard

Attributed Gio Ponti Midcentury Rare Velvet Curved Sofa "Casa E Giardino", 1950
Located in Puglia, Puglia
A rare sofa attributed Gio Ponti for Casa e Giardino from the 1950s, curved three-seater sofa. The sofa was reupholstered more than twenty years ago but the velvet is worn and I reco...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet, Beech

Frits Henningsen Sofa
Located in Kastrup, DK
Frits Henningsen sofa from 1889-1965. Mahogany sofa made in high quality at own carpentry in 1940-1950. Mahogany refinished with a light French polish. Seat height 45 cm. Newly u...
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sofas

Materials

Fabric, Mahogany

Frits Henningsen Sofa
Frits Henningsen Sofa
H 28.75 in W 79.14 in D 29.93 in
Gio Ponti curved sofa by Casa e Giardino, Italy, 1940s
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
A rare and beautiful curved sofa with a wooden frame and fabric upholstery, designed by Gio Ponti for "Casa e Giardino", manufactured in Italy in the 1940s. In Gio Ponti's ideal hom...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Fabric, Walnut

LOTA Sofa by Eileen Gray
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Sofa, designed by Eileen Gray. Germany, Classicon, 1990s. The LOTA sofa, designed by Eileen Gray, produced by Classicon in Munich. Sofa with black lacquer...
Category

1990s German Modern Sofas

Materials

Wool, Wood

LOTA Sofa by Eileen Gray
LOTA Sofa by Eileen Gray
H 33.47 in W 94.49 in D 37.41 in
Previously Available Items
Pair of Large Restored Modern Deco Yellow Velvet Streamline Club Chairs
Located in Houston, TX
A pair of two beautiful large restored modern deco yellow velvet streamline club chairs.
Category

1930s American Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet

Large Gio Ponti Attributed Curved Sofa in Original Blue Floral Upholstery, 1930s
Located in The Hague, NL
This sumptuous curved sofa was designed and manufactured in Italy in the late 1930s. The design is attributed to Gio Ponti, who has designed similar sofas for the manufacturer Casa e...
Category

1930s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Mohair, Upholstery, Velvet, Walnut, Burl

Pair of Large Restored Modern Deco Yellow Velvet Streamline Club Chairs
Located in Houston, TX
A pair of two beautiful large restored modern deco yellow velvet streamline club chairs.
Category

1930s American Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet

Sofa Two-Seat, Jallot, circa 1930
Located in Brussels, BE
Sofa two-seat, Jallot, circa 1930.
Category

1930s European Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Wood

Sofa Two-Seat, Jallot, circa 1930
Sofa Two-Seat, Jallot, circa 1930
H 33.86 in W 53.55 in D 23.63 in
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Curved 'Utrecht' Sofa in Blue Fabric Upholstery
Located in Waalwijk, NL
'Utrecht' sofa, in fabric and wood, by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, the Netherlands 1935. Gerrit Rietveld designed this sofa in 1935 for the Dutch Company Metz & Co. Later on in th...
Category

1930s Dutch Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Fabric, Upholstery, Wood

Gerrit Rietveld Utrecht Sofa by Cassina
Located in Miami, FL
Noted Dutch architect and furniture designer Gerrit Thomas Rietveld designed this Utrecht sofa in 1935, featuring a wonderful curved Silhouette. Cassina i...
Category

1930s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas

Leather Loveseat
Located in Culver City, CA
Original leather with rich patina.
Category

1930s French Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Leather, Wood

Leather Loveseat
Leather Loveseat
H 31 in W 59 in D 33 in
Blue Leather Chrome Sofa
Located in Culver City, CA
Tubular metal frame with original leather upholstery.
Category

1930s English Vintage Modern Sofas

Materials

Leather

Blue Leather Chrome Sofa
Blue Leather Chrome Sofa
H 30 in W 61.5 in D 30 in
Luxe Curved and Grey Velvet Sofa
Located in Houston, TX
Stunning curved sofa from the 1930-1940s. Elongated bean shaped sofa is beautiful and fully refurbished. Sofa has all new foam and is covered in luxe ...
Category

1930s Vintage Modern Sofas

Luxe Curved and Grey Velvet Sofa
Luxe Curved and Grey Velvet Sofa
H 29 in W 98 in D 36 in

Modern sofas for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Modern sofas for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage sofas created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include seating, building and garden elements, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with fabric, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Modern sofas made in a specific country, there are Europe, Portugal, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original sofas, popular names associated with this style include De Sede, Finn Juhl, Stephen Kenn, and Moooi. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for sofas differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $72 and tops out at $497,965 while the average work can sell for $9,554.

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