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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Laminate, Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Lacquer
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Rush, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1970s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Modern Furniture
Copper
1980s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Furniture
Glass
1990s English Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Pottery, Clay
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Foam, Wood, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass