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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Blown Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s American Modern Furniture
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Metal, Bronze
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Bamboo
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
1990s Mexican Modern Furniture
Silver
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1940s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Silk, Paint, Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Silk, Fur, Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood