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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Walnut
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mohair, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Quartz, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Ash, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1940s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Beech
1940s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Marble, Sheet Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Milk Glass, Lucite, Oak
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
1970s Brazilian Vintage Modern Furniture
Copper, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Dutch Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Mirror, Burl
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome, Stainless Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Fir, Walnut, Oak