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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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

Modern Furniture

2010s North American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Cybele Embroidery Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher x Celerie Kemble Tortoise Wallpaper in Natural

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Wentworth Embroidery Rust Linen Cotton Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary South Korean Modern Furniture

Schumacher Linen & Paperweave Wallpaper In Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hickox Indoor Outdoor 18" Pillow in Green

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Parvin Velvet 24" x 12" Pillow in Black & Ivory

21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Furniture

Schumacher Khilana Floral Delft Rose Linen Cotton Two-Sided Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Ashoka 16" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Sunrise Embroidery 18" x 12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Corfu Stripe Black Linen Cotton Two-Sided Pillow, Maracana Pom Tape

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Komodo Wallpaper in Sepia

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Ming Fret Velvet 20" Pillow in Navy

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher x Veere Grenney Folly Opington Blue Two-Sided Linen Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Lotus Embroidery Pillow in Gold

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture

Schumacher Tortola Diamond Woven Indoor/Outdoor Two-Sided Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher David Kaihoi Tutsi Green Two-Sided Cotton Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Freeform Tape + Piet Performance Linen Black Two-Side Lumbar Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Wentworth Embroidery Natural Linen Cotton Lumbar Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Iconic Leopard 22" Pillow in Linen

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher Iconic Leopard Indoor/Outdoor Graphite Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher x Miles Redd Dogwood Leaf Ivory Two-Sided Cotton Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Corfu Navy Multi Linen Cotton Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Marguerite Embroidery Sky Linen Wool Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Camile Embroidery Yellow Linen Cotton Two-Sided Lumbar Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Kayenta Yellow Two-Sided Cotton Lumbar Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Paul Poiret Hydrangea Document Two-Sided Linen Cotton Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Piet Performance Linen Blanc Two-Sided Pillow with Juno Fringe Tape

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Artigianale Italian Handwoven Natural Oversized Floor Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Tangier Embroidery Moroccan Geometric Silver Two-Sided Pillow

2010s American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Buena Vista 22" Pillow in Sky

2010s American Modern Furniture

Shumacher Tortola I/O 22" Pillow in Oxford Grey

2010s American Modern Furniture

Shumacher Tortola I/O 24" Pillow in Oxford Grey

2010s American Modern Furniture

Shumacher Saranda Flower 20" Pillow in Marigold

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Horst Stripe Grisaille Two-Sided Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture

Schumacher x Veere Grenney Belvedere Sky Two-Sided Linen Pillow

2010s American Modern Furniture

Venetian Flamestitch Rug in Blue, 8x10'

2010s American Modern Furniture

Venetian Flamestitch Rug in Blue, 10x14'

2010s American Modern Furniture

Tortola Indoor/Outdoor Rug in Marine Blue, 10x14'

2010s American Modern Furniture

Fuzz Pillow in Navy, 18"

2010s American Modern Furniture