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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 English Modern Furniture
Ash
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fur, Hide, Leather
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Unknown Modern Furniture
Velvet, Ash, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Statuary Marble, Brass, Copper, Steel, Stainle...
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Silk
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Plywood
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel