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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cherry
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Silk
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal, Silver Plate
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Leather, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Linen, Fiberglass, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Fabric, Teak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Upholstery, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn, Wool
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Czech Modern Furniture
Bentwood
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Teak, Rope, Rattan, Synthetic
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Teak, Upholstery, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s Finnish Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Maple