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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Moroccan Rug in Brown with Black Art Deco style Geometric Pattern

Modern Furniture

2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Moroccan Rug in Brown with Black Art Deco style Geometric Pattern

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

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

2010s Turkish Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Patchwork Kilim Rug in Polychromatic Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Rug in Beige-brown Geometric Patterns

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Classic Style Tiger Rug in Orange and Beige-Brown Pictorial

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Abstract Rug in Blue, Green and Greige Geometric Pattern

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Moroccan Style Rug in Rich Brown, with Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Custom Scandinavian Style Rug Design with Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s French Art Deco Style Rug in Green with Geometric Patterns

2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Moroccan Rug in Brown with Black Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Contemporary Jute & Sisal Runner in Beige-Brown

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Contemporary Rug in Solid Beige Brown Open Field

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

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

2010s Pakistani Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Moroccan Style Rug in Blue with Brown Geometric Patterns

2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Cowhide Rug in White and Rose Gold

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Extra-Long Kilim Runner Rug in Beige-Brown Textural Stripes

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Scandinavian Kilim Style Custom Rug, Grey, Blue, Green Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Tiger Rug in Gold with Orange and Black Pictorial

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Scandinavian Style Custom Rug Design in Green with Medallions

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 Distressed Dragon Rug in Blue, Gold and Red Pictorial Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Modern Kilim rug in Brown & Grey Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Khotan Style Rug in Beige-Brown with Pomegranate Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Textural Rug in Tones of Green

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Homage Geometric Red and Orange Wool Custom Rug

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Tiger Pictorial Rug in Gray, Rust and Black Tones

2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Moroccan Rug in White and Blue with Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Custom Scandinavian Rug Design with Geometric Patterns

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim's Contemporary Geometric Pink and Grey Wool-Silk Abstract Rug

2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Contemporary Cowhide Rug in White and Rose Gold

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

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

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Classic Style Tiger Rug in White and Gray Pictorial Pattern

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Khotan Rug With Colorful Geometric Floral Patterns

2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Moroccan Rug in Solid Brown High-Pile Shag

2010s Indian Modern Furniture

Rug & Kilim’s Scandinavian Style Silk Kilim in Taupe & Brown Geometric Patterns

2010s Afghan Modern Furniture

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

2010s Indian Modern Furniture