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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s African Modern Furniture
Zebra Hide
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fur, Fabric, Wool, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Bone, Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Zebra Hide
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Oceanic Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Marble, Sheet Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Faux Leather
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Birch, Plywood, Walnut
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Sheet Metal