Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak, Walnut
1990s French Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Lizard
20th Century American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
2010s Egyptian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Chrome, Steel
2010s American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass, Bronze, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass, Bronze, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Leather, Glass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Python, Lucite
2010s German Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal, Chrome
2010s French Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Shagreen, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1970s German Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass, Bronze, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Silver, Silver Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Suede, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass, Nickel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Lucite, Wood, Burl
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
2010s Turkish Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
2010s French Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Glass, Wood
Early 2000s Unknown Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
1990s North American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Rattan, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
2010s American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
2010s Philippine Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Ceramic, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Lithuanian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
1930s French Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Beech, Poplar
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
2010s French Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
2010s German Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Gold Leaf
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
2010s Lithuanian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Foil