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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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

Modern Furniture

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Cloud Toile Wallpaper in Quartz

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Citrus Garden I/O 22" Pillow in Garden

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Chiang Mai Dragon I/O Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture

Schumacher Acanthus Stripe Sisal Wallpaper In Chambray

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Moire Wallcovering in Parchment

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Citrus Garden I/O in Leaf 18" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Editions Stella 54" Dining Table in Natural Matte

2010s American Modern Furniture

Shumacher Santa Monica Ikat 22" Pillow in Leaf Green

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Blumont I/O in Blue 24" x12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Coronation Velvet 16x12" Pillow in Garnet

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Acanthus Stripe Vinyl Wallpaper In Limestone

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher X Molly Mahon Bagru & Buti Pillow in Blue

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Fauna 16" Pillow in Slate Blue

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture

Schumacher Acanthus Stripe Sisal Wallpaper In Seaglass & Chalk

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher x Veere Grenney Tabitha Quiet Pink Linen Two-Sided Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture

Schumacher X Timothy Corrigan Corail Velvet Emerald Two-Sided Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Crocodile Wallpaper In Crimson

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Walker Blues Cotton Linen Two-Sided Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Editions Stella 54" Dining Table in White Oak

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher x Josef Frank Exotic Butterfly Marine Two-Sided Linen Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture

Schumacher Kandira Blues Two-Sided Linen Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Sabi Tiger Velvet 24x12" Pillow in Jungle

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Custis Stripe Embroidered 22 x 14" Pillow in Marigold

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Rocco Dining Chair Upholstered in Belvoir Schumacher Fabric

2010s American Modern Furniture

Narragansett Rug in Indigo, 10x14'

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Mokki Dining Chair Upholstered in Laurel Schumacher Performance Fabric

2010s American Modern Furniture

Shumacher Blair Silk Épinglé 16x12" Pillow in Wythe Rose

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Marion Velvet 16x12" Pillow in Sepia

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Edirne Silk Velvet in Sky & Black 20" x 16" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schuamcher Brimfield 20" Pillow in Cinder

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Lisboa Velvet 20" Pillow in Gold

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Zebra Palm Indoor/Outdoor Black Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Rolling Hills in Blues 16 x 12" Pillow

2010s American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Orissa Sisal Wallpaper Mural in Sky

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Fitzgerald 10' x 14' Rug In Brown

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Sequoia Stripe 8' x 10' Jute Rug In Natural

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher Campagne Peacock Rouge Two-Sided Linen Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Wentworth Embroidery Chambray Linen Cotton Lumbar Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Editions Mokki 94.5" Dining Table in White Oak

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture