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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Upholstery, Down
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Furniture
Wool, Linen, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Sheepskin
1920s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Maple
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Wool, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl, Resin
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1890s American Antique Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut, Oak, Leather, Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Maple, Burl
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Cherry
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Brass, Aluminum, Nickel
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood