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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
1960s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Opaline Glass
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Gold Plate, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Scagliola, Wood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Stainless Steel
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s South African Modern Furniture
Clay, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Leather
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Aluminum, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Siena Marble, Aluminum, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic