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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Pottery
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Zebra Hide, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Israeli Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Glass, Lucite
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Cane, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Wood
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric
1990s British Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s European Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Cherry
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Silver Plate, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware, Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Limestone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood