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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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

Schumacher Twiggy Paperweave Wallpaper In Leaf

Modern Furniture

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture

Schumacher Twiggy Paperweave Wallpaper In Leaf

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Toussaint Toile in Purple 20" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Vanderbilt Velvet 24" Pillow in Tortoise

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Oleander I/O 16x12" Pillow in Indigo

21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Furniture

Schumacher Rolling Hills 20" Pillow in Blue

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Broken Chevron Cut Velvet 22" Pillow in Olive on Khaki

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher Toile de Fleurs Wallpaper in Delft

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Vanderbilt Velvet 22" Pillow in Tortoise

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Kata 24" x 12" Pillow in Camel with Black

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher Charlap Hyman Herrero Giove Wallpaper in Agate and Onyx

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Tierra Stripe 20" Pillow in Blue

2010s American Modern Furniture

Shumacher Gerry Embroidery 14" Pillow B in Document

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Komodo Wallpaper in Black Orchid

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Cloud Toile Wallpaper in Mineral

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher x Neisha Crosland Thistle 30 x 14" Pillow in Ivory

2010s American Modern Furniture

Green Schumacher Jokhang Tiger Pillow in black Fringe

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schuamcher Picnic I/O 20" Pillow in Emerald

2010s American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Jasmine I/O 24x12" Pillow in Indigo

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Venetian Silk Velvet Hazel Lumbar Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Le Matelot Lumbar Pillow in Peacock

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Brighton Pavilion Art Panel, Right

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Baudin Butterfly Chintz Blush Two-Sided Cotton Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Brighton Pavilion Art Panel, Left

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Fitzgerald 10' x 14' Rug In Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Madame De Pompadour Art Panel, Left

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Temara Embroidered Print Pillow in Pomegranate

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Citrus Garden I/O in Leaf 22" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Blair Silk Épinglé 16" Pillow in Wythe Rose

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Annika Floral Tapestry Pillow 18x12" in Multi on Navy

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Madame De Pompadour Art Panel, Right

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher Snake Charmer Wallpaper in Cobalt

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Mark D. Sikes Santa Barbara Ikat Indigo Two-Sided Cotton Linen Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher Birds and Butterflies 24" Lumbar Pillow in Multi

2010s American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Orissa Wallpaper Mural in Alabaster

21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture

Schumacher Yoruba Area Rug in Hand-Woven Wool & Silk by Patterson Flynn Martin

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Zebra Palm Indoor/Outdoor Leaf Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Vanderbilt Velvet 22" Pillow in Noir

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Editions Stella 60" Dining Table in Natural Matte

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hampton Stripe I/O Pillow 20x14" in Emerald

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture