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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cherry
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware, Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Glass, Lucite
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Limestone, Steel
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1950s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s German Modern Furniture
Chrome
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass, Lucite, Plexiglass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Leather, Down
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1990s French Modern Furniture
Shagreen, Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s European Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Bouclé, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet, Linen
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Glass, Oak, Wenge
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass