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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Nickel
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine, Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Czech Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century Norwegian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Travertine, Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Mirror
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s Austrian Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Pewter
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Wire, Stainless Steel, Bronze, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Velvet
1920s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Velvet
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Velvet