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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Lucite
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Faux Fur
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Jute
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
2010s Afghan Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Linen
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Rattan, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Mirror, Birdseye Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Furniture
Ash, Paper
1920s Persian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Horn, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Lucite
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Rattan, Wood