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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Velvet, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Opaline Glass, Plaster
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Paper
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Paper
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Onyx
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Earthenware
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Stoneware
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Quartz, Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Afghan Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Textile, Fruitwood
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal, Gold, Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Maple, Burl
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Walnut
1990s American Modern Furniture
Mohair
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet, Linen
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Maple, Burl
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Stainless Steel, Wire
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
1960s Vintage Modern Furniture
Shell
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Brass, Aluminum, Nickel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver