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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Fruitwood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Steel
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel
1990s French Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
1930s South American Vintage Modern Furniture
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal, Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s French Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Leather, Down
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet, Linen
2010s French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s European Modern Furniture
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Nylon