International Style Furniture
The International Style, a modernist movement within architecture and furniture design that was given its name by American architect Philip Johnson and historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock, was born during the 1920s and ’30s. It gained steam initially in Europe and then in the United States as a response to the first World War. Building projects associated with the movement, as well as vintage International Style chairs, tables and other furnishings, are minimal and pared back.
Pioneers of the International Style — architect Walter Gropius and his Bauhaus colleagues Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, De Stijl advocate and Dutch architect J.J.P. Oud and visionary designer Le Corbusier — stripped away decorative elements and placed considerable value on functionality and clean lines, integrating the use of industrial materials like steel, concrete and large sheets of glass in their work. Quite aptly, this mode of design and architectural style coincided with an era now known as the Machine Age and became a global symbol of modernism. The primary motive of its practitioners was to address the changing needs of a rapidly industrializing society, especially the demand for office complexes and apartments in large cities, through economical, technologically advanced, yet aesthetically pleasing designs for furniture and buildings.
“Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep,” said Le Corbusier of the philosophy behind his practical modernist architecture.
The International Style’s designers and architects were inspired by the advantages afforded them by the era’s new technology and industrial machinery as well as state-of-the-art materials. Le Corbusier was fond of framing his buildings in steel but reinforced concrete made far more economic sense. He is probably most admired for the iconic private homes and commercial buildings that he designed or codesigned with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, which are spread across the world, from New York City to Paris to Chandigarh, India. Today, Breuer’s Wassily Lounge chair; the elegant LC series created by Le Corbusier, Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand; and Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair, crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich, are emblems of progressive modernist design and all make prominent use of tubular steel. Vintage originals are the prized cornerstone of collections.
“The International Style is probably the first fundamentally original and widely distributed style since the Gothic,” posited Johnson in the book that accompanied “Modern Architecture: International Exhibition,” an architectural show he cocurated with Hitchcock that featured the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Richard Neutra and others. While the term “International Style” had previously been circulating in Europe, when the show opened at the Museum of Modern Art in 1932, it yielded a much broader application of this important style of design.
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18th Century European Antique International Style Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century French International Style Furniture
Leather, Plastic, Paper
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Other
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American International Style Furniture
Oak
2010s French International Style Furniture
Crystal
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Rope, Wood
1960s Ecuadorean Vintage International Style Furniture
Fruitwood
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Glass, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary American International Style Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century International Style Furniture
Paper
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Wood
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Reed
21st Century and Contemporary American International Style Furniture
Paper
1960s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Bamboo
1970s American Vintage International Style Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
2010s Chinese International Style Furniture
Wool
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Lacquer
Late 19th Century German Antique International Style Furniture
Porcelain
1860s French Antique International Style Furniture
Glass, Oak
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Wicker
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Italian International Style Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Reeded Glass, Wood, Wenge
Early 2000s American International Style Furniture
Wood
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Lacquer
Mid-20th Century English International Style Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Reeded Glass, Wood
1920s German Vintage International Style Furniture
Steel
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
Late 19th Century English Antique International Style Furniture
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Japanese International Style Furniture
Bentwood
1980s Brazilian Vintage International Style Furniture
Pewter
Early 20th Century International Style Furniture
Beech
Mid-20th Century English International Style Furniture
Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
1950s Finnish Vintage International Style Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
1930s French Vintage International Style Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Italian International Style Furniture
Plywood
1980s Portuguese Vintage International Style Furniture
Silver Plate
20th Century International Style Furniture
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American International Style Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Peruvian International Style Furniture
Wool
20th Century Italian International Style Furniture
Canvas
1990s International Style Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Italian International Style Furniture
Leather
19th Century Italian Antique International Style Furniture
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese International Style Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American International Style Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century American International Style Furniture
Chrome
1970s Brazilian Vintage International Style Furniture
Metal
1930s American Vintage International Style Furniture
Glass
2010s Turkish International Style Furniture
Cotton, Silk
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American International Style Furniture
Leather