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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Furniture
Canvas
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s European Modern Furniture
Velvet, Rattan, Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Faux Leather, Foam
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Stone
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Granite, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Ash, Oak
2010s French Modern Furniture
Wood, Elm
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Fir
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Mirror, Maple
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Foam, Wood, Leather, Faux Fur
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Paint, Epoxy Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Mirror
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
Late 20th Century Irish Modern Furniture
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wood





