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.
Find International Style furniture on 1stDibs.
1950s French Vintage International Style Furniture
Art Glass
1860s French Antique International Style Furniture
Glass, Oak
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s German International Style Furniture
Crystal
1960s French Vintage International Style Furniture
Paper
2010s Spanish International Style Furniture
Paper
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Stainless Steel
Early 19th Century German Antique International Style Furniture
Hardwood, Paper
Mid-20th Century English International Style Furniture
Porcelain
1930s French Vintage International Style Furniture
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
1980s Unknown Vintage International Style Furniture
Silver
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Aluminum, Brass
Early 2000s European International Style Furniture
Velvet
1950s Czech Vintage International Style Furniture
Oak
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican International Style Furniture
Walnut
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Italian International Style Furniture
Walnut, Straw
Early 2000s Montenegrin International Style Furniture
Gold Leaf
19th Century Indian Antique International Style Furniture
Wood
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Chestnut
Early 2000s Italian International Style Furniture
Leather
Mid-20th Century American International Style Furniture
Silver Plate
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Plywood
2010s Italian International Style Furniture
Marble
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Leather
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Chinese International Style Furniture
Wool
2010s Philippine International Style Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique International Style Furniture
Walnut
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Aluminum, Brass
Mid-20th Century International Style Furniture
Wood
20th Century Italian International Style Furniture
Brass
20th Century Italian International Style Furniture
Canvas
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Wood
20th Century Canadian International Style Furniture
Travertine, Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Aluminum
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Turkish International Style Furniture
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century Czech International Style Furniture
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Upholstery
1990s Indonesian International Style Furniture
Wood
1960s Danish Vintage International Style Furniture
Steel
2010s Spanish International Style Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel
Early 20th Century American International Style Furniture
Crystal, Sterling Silver
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian International Style Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian International Style Furniture
Wool
2010s Brazilian International Style Furniture
Brass, Steel
1990s Slovenian International Style Furniture
Silk
1950s Italian Vintage International Style Furniture
Murano Glass
1890s Scandinavian Antique International Style Furniture
Paint