Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Early 20th Century German Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Textile, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Textile, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Maple
1960s Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
20th Century French Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
20th Century American Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Nickel
1950s American Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Nickel
1930s Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Wood
1940s Finnish Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Birch
1970s American Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Steel, Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1940s Spanish Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Pine
1790s Italian Antique Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Czech Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Oak
20th Century Italian Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Poplar
Mid-20th Century European Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Teak
1880s French Antique Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Czech Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Beech, Plywood
Early 2000s American Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Laminate
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
Mid-20th Century Czech Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Beech, Plywood
1980s German Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Formica, Beech
19th Century French Antique Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Pine, Beech
2010s American Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1960s Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Chrome
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Mahogany
1960s Czech Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
20th Century American Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
20th Century Scottish Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Mahogany
20th Century Scottish Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Hardwood
1970s Vintage Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Burl