Modern Furniture
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1940s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Japanese Modern Furniture
Wood
Early 2000s Moroccan Modern Furniture
Metal, Copper
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood
2010s South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s British Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Chrome, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Travertine, Onyx, Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Carrara Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Travertine, Granite, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Rose Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather, Textile, Cane, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Bouclé
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel, Brass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber, Wool
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wool, Natural Fiber, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel