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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Scagliola, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Porcelain, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Silver Plate, Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Cane, Glass, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s North Korean Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary New Zealand Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Copper, Steel
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Birch, Oak, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Rose Quartz
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Irish Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Oak, Ceramic
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble