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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Teak, Upholstery, Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1940s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak, Wenge, Sapele Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Maple
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Rosewood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Linen, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Foam, Paint, Acrylic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel, Pewter
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Zebra Hide
2010s African Modern Furniture
Zebra Hide
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Irish Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
Late 20th Century Norwegian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood