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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s South American Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Korean Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Yarn, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel, Brass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fur, Alpaca, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Jute
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak, Cane
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Hardwood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Stone, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming