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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 German Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Granite, Steel, Cut Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Stone, Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Porcelain, Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Wood, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Furniture
Lucite, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wool
Early 2000s Modern Furniture
Art Glass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fur, Hide, Leather
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Silk