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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s English Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Linen, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Cotton, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Silver Plate
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Stone, Metal, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite, Acrylic
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel, Brass
1970s Irish Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal, Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Maple, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Wood, Lacquer
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary Irish Modern Furniture
Walnut, Burl