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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Jute
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture
Velvet
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Alabaster
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Faux Fur, Ash, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Steel
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s European Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s French Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Mahogany, Satinwood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Jute
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s European Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass