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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Canadian Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Maple, Burl
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Lucite
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Rattan
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Foam, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Leather, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Linen, Fiberglass, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Birdseye Maple
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Linen
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Nickel
1990s French Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Austrian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cement, Iron