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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Plaster
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Hardwood, Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Brass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Acrylic, Ash, Cotton, Linen, Faux Fur, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Chenille
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Wool, Bouclé, Acrylic, Ash, Sheepskin, Cotton, Linen, Fa...
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Cotton, Linen, Velvet, Faux Fur
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s European Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Cotton, Velvet, Acrylic, Ash, Sheepskin, L...
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Straw, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool