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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Pottery
1940s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal, Gold Leaf
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Granite, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Jute
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wool, Felt
Early 2000s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s French Modern Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Nylon, Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Walnut, Wood
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Lacquer
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Steel
1960s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Marble
20th Century Belgian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Israeli Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Iron
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel