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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mirror
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Cotton
2010s Korean Modern Furniture
Acrylic
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Upholstery
1990s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Lucite
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Horn, Wood
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Glass, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Birch
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Quartz, Travertine, Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
20th Century Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Linen, Paint
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s German Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Lucite
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Limestone, Travertine, Granite, Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Textile, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut