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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Turkish Modern Furniture
Sheet Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Pewter
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Bouclé
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wool
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
Early 2000s Danish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Maple
Late 20th Century Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Fir, Reclaimed Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Linen, Oak
2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Limestone, Travertine, Granite, Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Faux Fur
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Mirror, Hardwood, Oak