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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Wool, Alpaca, Bouclé, Faux Leather, Acrylic, Wood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Linen, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Rose Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cement, Concrete
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Nickel
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel, Pewter
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Cane, Glass, Teak
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Brass, Aluminum, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum