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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Brass
15th Century and Earlier American Antique Modern Furniture
Maple, Paint
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Leather, Upholstery, Cane, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Hardwood
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1950s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Palestinian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Linen, Fiberglass, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Fiberglass, Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Steel, Iron
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
Early 2000s European Modern Furniture
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Furniture
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plywood, Foam
Late 20th Century Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Chrome
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Nickel, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Nylon, Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Oak
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut