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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Contemporary Cowhide Rug in White and Beige-Brown

Modern Furniture

2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Extra-Long Runner Rug in Cream with Black Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Persian Style Oushak Rug in Blue and Cream with Floral Patterns

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Patchwork Kilim Runner in Polychromatic Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Distressed style Transitional rug in Polychromatic Floral Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Scandinavian Style Runner Rug in Green with Blue Geometric Pattern

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim in Brown with Green Accents

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Patchwork Kilim Rug in Polychromatic Stripes

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Patchwork Kilim Rug in Polychromatic Stripes

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Art Deco Style Square Rug with Beige-Brown Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Art Deco Style Rug in Brown and Black with Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Classics Square Rug, Intricate Floral Medallion “Shadzi”

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Patchwork Kilim Extra-Long Runner in Polychromatic Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Rug in Beige-Brown and Gray Geometric Patterns

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Tiger Skin Rug in Blue with Orange and Beige-Brown Pictorial

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Pictorial Dragon Rug in Navy Blue, with Geometric Borders

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Abstract Custom Rug Sample in Beige and Cream Tones

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Abstract Rug in Brown, Pink and Orange Tones

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Contemporary Moroccan Style Rug in Beige and Brown

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Runner in Blue and Cream with Stripes and Geometric Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Custom Kilim with Geometric Pattern

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Chinese Style Dragon Rug in Brown with Red and Blue Pictorials

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Rug with Abstract Patterns “Arghavan”

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Classics Flatweave in Red with Colorful Geometric Patterns

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Patchwork Kilim Circle Rug in Polychromatic Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Oversized Dhurrie Rug in Blue and White Geometric Patterns

2010s Chinese Modern Furniture

Rug & kilim’s European Flatweave Rug in Beige with Green and Pink Floral Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s French Art Deco style Accent Rug in Beige with Medallion Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Kilim Runner in White and Black Textural Stripes

2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Square Moroccan Rug in Cream White Tones and High Pile

2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Abstract runner in Polychromatic Tones

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Classic Style Custom Tiger Rug in Orange Pictorial Style

2010s Indian Modern Furniture