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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Furniture
Marble, Travertine, Brass, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Birdseye Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel, Enamel, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Chrome, Nickel, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber, Synthetic, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Travertine, Onyx, Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Pakistani Modern Furniture
Ash, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Onyx, Carrara Marble, Stainless Steel, Brass
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Lacquer, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Belgian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s French Modern Furniture
Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s South Korean Modern Furniture
Stone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plexiglass, Scagliola
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Scagliola, Harewood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Slate
2010s French Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Burl
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Foam, Hardwood, Bouclé, Upholstery
2010s French Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Belgian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s French Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak, Plywood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut, Plywood
2010s French Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s French Modern Furniture
Copper