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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Spanish Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Faux Leather
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Silver Plate, Metal
1990s Mexican Modern Furniture
Silver
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel, Brass
Late 20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Plywood
2010s European Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Earthenware
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Linen, Fiberglass, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
Early 20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Silk, Paint, Paper
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cherry
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Leather, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s European Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Bouclé
1980s Finnish Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Velvet
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Lucite