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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Beech, Lacquer
19th Century German Antique Modern Furniture
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fur, Alpaca, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Argentine Modern Furniture
Wood
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paint, Paper
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel, Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Furniture
Hemp
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Chrome
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Furniture
Fur
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
1950s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paint, Paper
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Wood, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Plaster
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass