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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Acrylic
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
2010s European Modern Furniture
Rattan, Wood, Faux Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Faux Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Stone
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Wood, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Crystal, Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s European Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Clay
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Laminate
2010s Lebanese Modern Furniture
Travertine, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Foam, Wood, Plywood
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s French Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s British Modern Furniture
Nylon
1930s Czech Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Sheepskin
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Onyx, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s French Modern Furniture
Leather, Beech
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass, Iron
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet, Down
2010s American Modern Furniture
Other, Bronze, Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Paint
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze
2010s South Korean Modern Furniture
Oak
Modern furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Modern Interiors
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