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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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

Rug & Kilim’s Classic Style Tiger Rug in Red and Orange Pictorial Pattern

Modern Furniture

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Classic Style Tiger Rug in Red and Orange Pictorial Pattern

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Oversized Textural Custom Rug Design, Solid Beige and Cream Striae

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Custom Rug in Gold with Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Kilim with Geometric Patterns in Tones of Green

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Classics Rug with Black, White, and Gold Horse Pictorials

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim with Textural Cream, Beige and Blue Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Chinese Art Deco Style Scatter Rug in Gold and Midnight Blue

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Patchwork Kilim in Polychromatic Stripes

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s European Style Custom Rug Sample, Silver-Gray with Floral Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Custom Ombre Rug in Gray-Beige Gradience

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Tiger Pictorial Rug Design in Burnt Orange and Blue

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim x El Gato Gomez Mid-Century Modern Style Runner Rug in Green

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Rug in Blue Tones with Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Custom Rug in Blue, with Geometric Patterns

2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Cowhide Rug in Beige-Brown, Gray and White Tones

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Distressed Style Abstract Runner in Beige-Brown Geometric Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Chinese Art Deco Style Runner in Black with Colorful Florals

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Rug with Gold Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Custom Rug in Pink with Geometric Patterns

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Classic Style Tiger Rug in Orange and Blue Pictorial Pattern

2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Extra Large Cowhide Rug in Beige and Cream Tones

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Abstract Rug in Gold, Orange and Blue Patterns

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Tiger Pictorial Rug in Gold, Brown and Black Tones

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Dhurrie Rug with White and Blue Stripes

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Botanical Rug in Multicolor Floral Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim x Jenn Ski Blue Mid-Century Modern Style Rug with Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Abstract Flatweave with Cream and Beige Geometric Patterns

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Patchwork Kilim in Polychromatic Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Kilim with Geometric Patterns in Tones of Green

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Contemporary Geometric Red Line Brown Wool Geometric Rug

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Contemporary Geometric Green and Blue Wool Rug

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Chinese Art Deco Style Rug in Beige-Brown and Blue Medallion Style

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Dhurrie Rug with Beige, Red, Blue Stripes Red Accents

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Patchwork Kilim Rug in Polychromatic Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Rug in Green and Blue with Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Rug in Blue with Geometric Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Rug with Light Blue Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Rug with Geometric Patterns in Tones of Green

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Ombre Kilim in Blue Gradient Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture