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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Furniture
Birch, Oak, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Rose Quartz
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Polyester, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Furniture
Wool, Linen, Foam, Wood
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut