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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Furniture
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Oak, Reclaimed Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Teak
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s German Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stainless Steel
2010s Peruvian Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Leather, Mohair, Bouclé, Linen
2010s Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Bentwood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Rope, Plaster
2010s American Modern Furniture
Glass, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Furniture
Hemp
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Bronze
2010s Czech Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Rope, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Walnut, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Textile, Beech
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plastic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood