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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Mahogany
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1990s French Modern Furniture
Shagreen, Glass, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s European Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Plywood
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
1990s American Modern Furniture
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Bouclé
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Mirror
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Bouclé, Upholstery
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Modern Furniture
Plywood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Silver Plate, Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Fabric, Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut