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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
1990s German Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Fabric, Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Silk
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Fabric, Teak
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak, Wenge, Sapele Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine, Marble
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s German Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Linen, Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Linen, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
1960s Romanian Vintage Modern Furniture
Cane, Bentwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Modern Furniture
Plywood