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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Mersin Silk Velvet in Blue & Black 20" x 16" Pillow

Modern Furniture

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Mersin Silk Velvet in Blue & Black 20" x 16" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Sequoia Stripe 9' x 12' Jute Rug In Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Sequoia Stripe 6' x 9' Jute Rug In Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Creeping Fern in Sky 20" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Maple in Wisteria 16" x 24" Lumbar Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Bendita Indoor Outdoor 24" x 12" Pillow in Lilac

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Brigitte Stripe 16" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Camden Cotton Check 22" x 14" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumcher Riley 20" Pillow in Navy on Ivory

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Rubia Embroidery 18" Pillow in Blue

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Rubia Embroidery 16" Pillow in Blue

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Chinois Fret 22" x 14" Pillow in Sky/Ivory

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Billy I/O in Black 24 x 12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Fremont I/O in Green 20" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Fremont I/O in Green 18" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Fremont I/O in Green 22" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Mini Leopard I/O in Navy 16" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hickox Indoor Outdoor 16" Pillow in Coral

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hickox Indoor Outdoor 22" Pillow in Green

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hickox Indoor Outdoor 20" Pillow in Yellow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hickox Indoor Outdoor 22" Pillow in Coral

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hickox Indoor Outdoor 18" Pillow in Yellow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hickox Indoor Outdoor 22" Pillow in Yellow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hickox Indoor Outdoor 18" Pillow in Coral

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Sunrise Embroidery 16" x 12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Fremont Indoor/Outdoor 22" Lumbar Pillow in Blue

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Ashoka 16" x 11" Pillow in Citron & Blue

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Fremont Indoor/Outdoor 20" Pillow in Blue

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Alma Indoor/Outdoor Pillow in Denim

21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Bee Epingle Red Black Cotton Velvet Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hickox Blue Indoor/Outdoor Two-Sided Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Hotch Potch Crazy Quilt 20" Pillow in Document

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture

Schumacher Twiggy Paperweave Wallpaper In Black

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Les Bambous Sisal Botanical Hand Printed Wallpaper in Fog

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Cheetah Velvet 20" Pillow in Java

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Schumacher Editions Mokki 75" Dining Table in White Oak

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture

Schumacher Acanthus Stripe Sisal Wallpaper In Fog & Chalk

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture

Mokki Dining Chair in Deconstructed Stripe Schumacher Performance Fabric

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture

Schumacher Branson 8' x 10' Jute Rug In Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture