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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Fabric, Bouclé
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome, Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Oceanic Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Latvian Modern Furniture
Copper, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Carrara Marble
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel, Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Wicker, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Cedar
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Rope, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass