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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Oceanic Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s British Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Ceramic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Maple
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Teak, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Fir, Reclaimed Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Faux Fur
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Maple, Walnut
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass