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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Persian Antique Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
1930s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Mohair, Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Japanese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plastic, Foam
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Glass
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1930s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze, Stainless Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel, Brass
1940s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Stone, Brass
2010s European Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
Early 2000s English Modern Furniture
Crystal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass