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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Enamel, Nickel, Bronze, Brass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Oak
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Ash
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Paint, Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cut Steel
2010s British Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper, Paint
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Japanese Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s American Modern Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Composition, Carrara Marble, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s British Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Hide, Ash
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Onyx, Marble, Steel, Stainless Steel, Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Goat Hair, Wool