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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Oceanic Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Teak, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Concrete
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s German Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
1980s Polish Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Chrome