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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Spanish Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Earthenware
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Hardwood, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Furniture
Oak, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Oak
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Opal
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Lucite
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Belgian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Amethyst, Carnelian
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Travertine, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
Early 1900s American Antique Modern Furniture
Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Israeli Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wool, Nylon
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Glass, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble