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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Wool, Walnut, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather, Acrylic, Pine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Nickel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware, Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Laminate, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wool, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s European Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Earthenware
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1920s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
Mid-20th Century Persian Modern Furniture
Wool
1930s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plexiglass
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Maple, Burl
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
Early 20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Terracotta
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet