Modern Furniture
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s French Modern Furniture
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather, Acrylic, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Wool, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s English Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
2010s British Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Mirror
2010s British Modern Furniture
Mirror
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile, Silk
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Aluminum
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut