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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Faux Leather, Walnut, Bentwood
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Hardwood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal, Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak, Wenge, Sapele Wood
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Wool, Alpaca, Bouclé, Faux Leather, Acrylic, Wood, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1940s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
2010s South African Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Linen, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Linen, Fiberglass, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Wool, Alpaca, Bouclé, Faux Leather, Acrylic, Wood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Cane, Glass, Teak
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Teak, Upholstery, Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Indonesian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Rattan
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s North Korean Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Bone, Porcelain
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn