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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Steel, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Silver
Early 2000s British Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
20th Century English Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Rosewood
2010s American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Silver Leaf
2010s English Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Steel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
2010s European Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
20th Century English Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Yew
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Rattan, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal, Nickel
1970s American Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Parchment Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Steel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Glass, Wood, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Lucite, Wood, Python
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal, Bronze
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cocobolo
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Ebony
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Ash, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Leather, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
2010s American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
2010s German Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s French Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Steel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Glass, Ebony
2010s Canadian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Glass, Acrylic, Wood
1970s French Vintage Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
2010s American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
Early 2000s French Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Leather, Ebony, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
Early 20th Century American Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Late 20th Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Lithuanian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Ash, Walnut
Early 2000s French Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Lithuanian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Walnut