Modern Credenzas
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Mexican Modern Credenzas
Beech
1990s American Modern Credenzas
Goatskin, Wood, Lacquer
1970s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Rosewood, Lacquer
1960s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Steel
2010s American Modern Credenzas
Wood, Ash
1980s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Credenzas
Acrylic, Hardwood, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Credenzas
Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Credenzas
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Credenzas
Metal
2010s European Modern Credenzas
Stainless Steel, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Credenzas
Brass
2010s European Modern Credenzas
Stainless Steel, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Credenzas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Credenzas
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Credenzas
Wood
2010s American Modern Credenzas
Bronze, Steel
1960s Brazilian Vintage Modern Credenzas
Rosewood
2010s American Modern Credenzas
Brass
2010s American Modern Credenzas
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Credenzas
Beech
2010s Mexican Modern Credenzas
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Credenzas
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Credenzas
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Modern Credenzas
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Credenzas
Beech
1960s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Olive, Burl, Oak
1970s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Marble, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
1960s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Laminate
Mid-20th Century American Modern Credenzas
Steel, Chrome
2010s American Modern Credenzas
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Brass
1960s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Brass, Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Credenzas
Mahogany, Birch
1960s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Chrome
1970s American Vintage Modern Credenzas
Chrome
1950s French Vintage Modern Credenzas
Brass
1940s French Vintage Modern Credenzas
Oak
1990s American Modern Credenzas
Goatskin, Wood
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Credenzas
Mirror, Teak, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Credenzas
Glass, Cherry, Maple
20th Century Modern Credenzas
Glass, Lacquer