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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Beech, Velvet, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Early 2000s Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paint
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
1990s Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Carrara Marble, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Tibetan Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Persian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet
Late 20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Goat Hair, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Lacquer
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Marble, Onyx, Brass, Gold Leaf, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
Late 20th Century Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Goat Hair, Cotton, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Statuary Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Bouclé, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel