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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum, Brass
1990s Finnish Modern Furniture
Blown Glass, Art Glass
1940s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
1990s Polish Modern Furniture
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s Norwegian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Rosewood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1960s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1970s Brazilian Vintage Modern Furniture
Suede, Rosewood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wool
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Parchment Paper
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Paint
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Bronze
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel, Wire
1970s Australian Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
1930s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
20th Century Modern Furniture
Walnut
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1970s Czech Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Glass
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Teak
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Fabric, Beech
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver