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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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

Shumacher Rolling Hills 18x12" Pillow in Green

Modern Furniture

2010s American Modern Furniture

Shumacher Rolling Hills 18x12" Pillow in Green

2010s American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Elsa 20x14" Pillow in Sandstone

2010s American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Bianca 24x12" Pillow in Ivory Noir

21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture

Schumacher Samarkand Ikat II Porcelain Blue Two-Sided Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Temara Embroidered Print Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture

Schumacher Acanthus Stripe Sisal Wallpaper In Turmeric

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schuamcher Acanthus Stripe 30" Pillow in Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Zambezi Velvet 16x12" Pillow in Champagne

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Tiraz Velvet in Peacock 20" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Albizia Embroidery Blue Green Linen Cotton Two-Sided Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Dixon Mohair in Vicuna 24" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Feather Bloom Sisal Wallpaper In Emerald & Ore

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Zebre 8' x 10' Hand-Knotted Rug In Ivory/ Black

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Rolling Hills in Blues 18 x 12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Tempesta Throw in Neutral

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Coyolate in Nougat 18" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Janis Velvet 18" Pillow in Moonstone

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Marion Velvet 16x12" Pillow in Prussian

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Vanderbilt Velvet 22" Pillow in Fushia

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture

Schumacher Haruki Sisal Wallpaper In Mineral

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Wyatt Corduroy 20" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Zsuzsa 22" Pillow in Chambray

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Janis Velvet 18x12" Pillow in Moonstone

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hendrix Embroidery Black Linen Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher Charlap Hyman Herrero Giove Wallpaper in Emerald and Sapphire

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Zimba 10' x 14' Rug In Ivory & Sand

2010s American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Orissa Wallpaper Mural in Blue & Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Magic Mountain Dragon in Porcelain 18" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Malta French Knot 5' x 7' Rug In Sky

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Indah Batik Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Dixon Mohair in Vicuna 22" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Faubourg Wallcovering in Blue

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Aveline Linen 22" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Zebre 10' x 14' Hand-Knotted Rug In Brown/ Black

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Ming Fret Velvet 22" Pillow in Emerald

2010s American Modern Furniture

Malta French Knot Rug in Sand, 5x7'

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture

Schumacher Ovington Sisal Wallpaper In Yellow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Wentworth Embroidery in Carbon 22" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Ohara Stripe I/O 22" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture