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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Brass
1960s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Canvas
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Sheepskin, Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Wood
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Faux Leather
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
1940s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1960s Norwegian Vintage Modern Sofas
Faux Leather, Rosewood
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Iron
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Polyester
1960s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Wood
1940s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Steel
1940s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Copper
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Iron, Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Iron
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sofas
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Brass
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Rattan
Mid-20th Century European Modern Sofas
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Bamboo
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Metal
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Iron
1960s European Vintage Modern Sofas
Chrome
1960s Finnish Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Velvet, Oak
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Wood, Fabric, Rosewood
1960s Norwegian Vintage Modern Sofas
Birch, Leather
1940s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
1940s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Mohair, Upholstery, Mahogany
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Metal, Chrome
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
1960s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Down, Upholstery
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1950s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Iron
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Walnut, Cotton, Velvet
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Sofas
Rosewood
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Cotton, Walnut
1950s Brazilian Vintage Modern Sofas
Jacaranda, Rosewood, Wool
1950s French Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam, Wood