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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Wood, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wool, Nylon, Polyester
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Bronze, Enamel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Silver Leaf, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Porcelain, Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Stone, Chrome
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Furniture
Lucite, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Hardwood, Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Canvas
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fur, Hide, Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
Early 2000s Modern Furniture
Art Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Clay, Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Cut Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass