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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Polish Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Faux Leather, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Paint
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Plastic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood, Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Sheet Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Polish Modern Furniture
Wood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Leather, Textile, Cotton
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Pottery
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Bronze
1990s European Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s British Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass