Modern Furniture

MODERN STYLE

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.

Style: Modern

Creator: Karl Springer

Italian Scavo Murano Glass Candlestick by Karl Springer for Seguso

Modern Furniture

1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture

Italian Scavo Murano Glass Candlestick by Karl Springer for Seguso

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Octagonal Mirror in Lacquered Goatskin, 1970s

1980s North American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer "Sculpture Desk Lamp" in Polished Chrome 1980s 'Signed'

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Glamorous Vintage Karl Springer Grasscloth Dining Table

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Pair of Polished Steel Nightstands or End Tables Karl Springer 1980s

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Octagonal Mirror in Shagreen Lacquer with Brass Accents, 1980s

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer "Spun Shaped Torchere" in Gunmetal and Brass, 1980s

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer & Lynn Shelton, Coffee Table, Painted Paper, Wood, America, c 1980

1970s North American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Rare Sea Shell Mirror, 1970s

Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Stainless Steel Coffee Table with Brass and Glass Top

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Polish Stainless Steel Wastebasket by Karl Springer

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer "Half Round Molding Mirror" in Vibrant Gray Python, 1970s

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Set of 4 Candle Holders in Travertine and Brass 1980s

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Brass End Table with Beveled Black Glass Top 1980s

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Molding Mirror Covered in Black Cobra 1970s

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer "Half Round Molding Mirror" in Hippo Suede 1977 'Signed and Dated'

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Lucite, Glass and Gold Plated Over Brass Console, Desk or Table

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer "Bullet Up Light" in Polished Chrome 1970s

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer White Snake Skin Lidded Box with Semi Precious Stone, 1970s

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Original Karl Springer Television Cabinet 1989 Goatskin

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Large Wall Hanging Mirror in Python, 1970s

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer "Athena Pedestal" in Chrome with Brass, 1980s

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Stainless Steel & Leather Bench, 1980’s

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

1980s Vintage Karl Springer Modern Dry Bar Service Cabinet Lacquered Goatskin

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer "Tray Top Side Table" in Embossed Lizard Leather 1980s 'Signed'

Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture

Large and Important Signed Karl Springer Mirror with Lacquered Goatskin Frame

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Large Wall Hanging Mirror in Cobra and Hippo Suede 1987 'Signed'

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Polished Brass Wastebasket by Karl Springer

1990s American Modern Furniture

Karl Springer "Dorchester Coffee Table" in Figured Anigre, 1990s 'Signed'

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Set of Three Gold Leaf Brass and Chrome Candlesticks by Karl Springer

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Dark Brown Scored Leather Bench by Karl Springer

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Clear Murano Glass Candleholder by Karl Springer

Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Snake-Textured Leather and Bronze Regency Modern Cocktail Table

Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Goatskin Center Table

1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Gunmetal and Chrome Floor Lamp by Karl Springer

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Karl Springer Sculptural Lucite Cocktail Table Base with Brass Caps Vintage

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Pair of Karl Springer Snake Skin Two-Tier Side Tables

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Extra Large Goatskin Beveled Mirror by Karl Springer

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture

Snake Skin Table by Karl Springer

1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture