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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Scagliola, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Mohair
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Mahogany, Satinwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Foam
1940s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s European Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Austrian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé
2010s British Modern Furniture
Mirror
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Epoxy Resin, Wood, Olive
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Jute
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s Japanese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Hardwood
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Furniture
Lucite, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Slate, Stone, Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Austrian Modern Furniture
Wood, Beech, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
2010s Japanese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Bentwood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
1990s American Modern Furniture
Birch
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
Late 20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel