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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel, Enamel, Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plastic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Mohair, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Rosewood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Bronze
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Mahogany, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1950s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal, Gold Leaf
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
1950s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Bentwood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1960s Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood