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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
Early 2000s English Modern Furniture
Crystal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Fabric, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wood, Beech
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
Early 2000s Modern Furniture
Art Glass
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete, Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Marble, Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
Late 20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Glass, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
20th Century Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Lucite
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
1990s French Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s European Modern Furniture
Rattan, Wood, Faux Leather
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Cane, Walnut, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Crystal, Gold, Bronze
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Concrete