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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Jute
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal, Gold Leaf
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Plexiglass, Teak, Paper
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Beech
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s North Korean Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s French Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Limestone, Iron
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1990s American Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
1930s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Teak
2010s European Modern Furniture
Wood, Velvet
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s New Zealand Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Rope
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Foam, Wood, Plywood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool