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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Horn, Plywood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut, Chestnut
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Silver
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Ash
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Beech
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Aluminum, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Cotton
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s British Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Elm
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fur, Fabric, Bouclé, Faux Fur, Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s French Modern Furniture
Brass