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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cherry
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Parchment Paper
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
2010s North Korean Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Polyester, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Stone
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wool, Alpaca, Silk
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Paper
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic