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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Cotton, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Oak, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Fur, Faux Fur, Sheepskin, Linen, Velvet, Wood, Ash
1970s Australian Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wool, Upholstery, Wood, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Walnut
Early 2000s Danish Modern Furniture
Cherry
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
1990s European Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s European Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass