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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Mexican Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s Vintage Modern Furniture
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Foam, Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Upholstery, Wood
1990s German Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
1980s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Finnish Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Travertine, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s European Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Furniture
Plywood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Linen, Hemp
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Linen, Hemp
2010s Belgian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Linen
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Linen, Hemp
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Canadian Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Early 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet