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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1950s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
20th Century Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Dutch Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Crystal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century German Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Textile, Lucite
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century British Modern Furniture
Paper
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wool
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century European Modern Furniture
Onyx
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century Israeli Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
1990s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
1970s Brazilian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Maple
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Laminate
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Lucite
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Persian Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Textile, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Nickel
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century European Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Czech Modern Furniture
Opaline Glass
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Foam, Plywood
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
1970s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper