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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 British Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Fabric, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
2010s British Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal, Brass
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s French Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s English Modern Furniture
Mirror
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Lacquer
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1860s French Antique Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s British Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s British Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Silk
2010s British Modern Furniture
Cotton, Feathers, Down, Velvet, Silk
2010s British Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s British Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s British Modern Furniture
Paper
Early 2000s British Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s British Modern Furniture
Metal, Bronze
1980s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Silver Plate
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Bronze
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Vermeil, Silver
2010s German Modern Furniture
Suede
2010s British Modern Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Suede, Wool, Upholstery, Ash, Elm, Oak, Sycamore
2010s English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s British Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s British Modern Furniture
Limestone
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Stone, Metal, Other
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum