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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Terracotta
20th Century Modern Furniture
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
Early 1900s Spanish Antique Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Marble
2010s Belgian Modern Furniture
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Hide, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
1990s European Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Leather
1990s Swedish Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Wood, Laminate
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Belgian Modern Furniture
Linen
20th Century British Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bouclé
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Belgian Modern Furniture
Linen
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Aluminum, Bronze
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
1990s British Modern Furniture
Cut Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
1980s Hong Kong Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
1920s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s European Vintage Modern Furniture
Paint