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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Lucite
2010s Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
Early 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Breccia Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Nickel, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fur, Alpaca, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Wood, Leather, Canvas, Velvet, Polyester
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plywood, Foam
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
1990s American Modern Furniture
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bouclé
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Polyester
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Alabaster, Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s French Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Afghan Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Furniture
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1950s Indian Vintage Modern Furniture
Teak, Cane
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Unknown Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1990s French Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s British Modern Furniture
Mirror
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s French Modern Furniture
Oak, Fabric
Early 2000s Swedish Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze