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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut, Mohair
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wool, Alpaca, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Maple
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Cotton, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Teak, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Fir, Reclaimed Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wool, Upholstery, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Rose Quartz
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Ash, Oak, Walnut
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Glass, Ash
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s New Zealand Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak