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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 French Modern Furniture
Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Fur, Faux Fur, Sheepskin
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Fabric, Beech
2010s Belgian Modern Furniture
Brass, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1920s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s French Modern Furniture
Stone
1970s Australian Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Faux Fur
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Silk
1930s Czech Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Walnut, Wood, Leather
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1990s Dutch Modern Furniture
Aluminum