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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cement, Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Laminate, Wood
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather, Acrylic, Pine
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Paint
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Mirror
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1990s French Modern Furniture
Paper
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Furniture
Onyx, Brass
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ash
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Leather, Plastic
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Rattan
Mid-20th Century European Modern Furniture
Wood, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut