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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Brazilian Modern Furniture
Steel
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Synthetic, Rattan, Rope, Teak
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Hardwood
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Linen, Paper
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Statuary Marble, Marble, Travertine, Onyx, Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel...
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
Early 2000s British Modern Furniture
Crystal, Chrome
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s American Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Plastic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cane, Walnut, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century Persian Antique Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Fir, Walnut, Oak, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Upholstery
Late 20th Century Fijian Modern Furniture
Leather, Palmwood
1980s Irish Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool