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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Crystal
20th Century German Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Furniture
Glass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Walnut
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Sheet Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Wicker, Rattan, Seagrass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Synthetic, Rattan, Rope, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Granite, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Israeli Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cane, Walnut, Leather
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Walnut, Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Foam, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Hungarian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Paper, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s French Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble